


Butterfly Effect

by Cheryl1964



Series: Butterfly Effects [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-23
Updated: 2013-02-26
Packaged: 2017-12-03 08:28:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 42,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/696300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheryl1964/pseuds/Cheryl1964
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>God takes Dean back in time to save Sam's life. Dean learns the real meaning of free will. Can Dean save Sam by changing the past?  And can he use those changes to save the future as past mistakes come together to release a new threat to the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The end of the road

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Supernatural.
> 
> If you don't like Seeing Dean slapped in the face with his mistakes don't read. But this is not Dean bashing just to bash Dean there is a point to it all just like There was a point to Mystery Spot.

Dean tucked the blanket over Sam. Their latest hunt had gone sour. What should have been a simple salt and burn turned out to be a powerful Poltergeist. The ghost has tossed Sam across the room where he landed on a wooden chair. Dean and Sam both bore bruises from the fight although Sam had gotten the worse of it.

Dean had prayed to Cas all the way from the farmhouse to the motel with no answer from the angel. Seeing the bruises already forming along Sam's ribs, Dean had used an Ace wrap to bind his brother's ribs before pushing a painkiller and a glass of water on him and getting him tucked into the to small bed in the motel room. Not really expecting an answer, Dean tried again.

"Cas, If you're listening we really need you to get your feathery ass down here. Sammy's hurt."

"They say Karma's a bitch."

Dean spun around at the voice behind him. "Son of a bitch! What? Who?"

The woman standing there was tall and elegant but with a look of barely leashed anger on her face. "That depends on who you ask. Jehovah, Allah; some people just call me God."

"You're God?" Dean snorted. "The last I heard you were the angel's father."

"And so I am, I'm also their mother. There is no gender that defines me any more than it could define them. We are neither male nor female and at the same both male and female." God said as she delicately lowered herself into one of the rickety chairs at the equally rickety table in the motel room that had seen better days. "But I am not here to discuss the sexuality of celestial beings with you Dean Winchester. I am here because I am quite frankly fed up with your whining and bitching. It is John Winchester all over again."

Dean eased his way closer to the bed that Sam lay in.

"He's dying you know?" God said appearing next to the bed. "The poltergeist caused internal injuries that cannot be detected by the naked eye. A ruptured bowel, a result of his landing on the chair as he did. It not only bruised his ribs, it caused a small tear in his large intestine he'll soon develop peritonitis. The infection will kill him. It's already starting."

"What? Fix him!" Dean yelled.

"Why should I? I'm not the one who brought him to this point." God said "I'm more of a mind to let him finally rest. He has suffered more than any human should bear to suffer and done it with conviction and faith.

More importantly, he's tired. He has been for a while. He carries a burden he was never meant to carry."

"He's my brother dammit! He doesn't deserve this!" Dean said.

"He didn't deserve much of what he has borne over the years." God said. "The sad part is that his suffering was never necessary." God placed a hand on Sam's forehead. "You could have spared him this."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"You could have spared him all the suffering and sorrow by making different decisions, just as John Winchester could have spared you. Instead of breaking the cycle, you perpetuated it." God said. "Come Dean, let me show this world as I see it." God said. "I won't save Sam, but I will give you the opportunity to save him yourself if you can figure out what you need to do."

"What do I need to do to save him? Just tell me and I'll do it." Dean said "Just fricken tell me! I'm tired of 'Heavenly beings dicking us around for all these years."

God shook her head and looked at Dean. "It's all Heaven's fault? Is that it? Sammy's odds are not looking good right now Dean. I think you need a reminder of where this all started, with Mary Campbell Winchester. The Apocalypse was never a given, it was a failsafe."

"What do you mean a failsafe? And why are you blaming my mother for this?" Dean demanded.

"Do you think that I would put all this work into this world just to destroy it? The Apocalypse was only supposed to be triggered if humanity ended up being as destructive as the Leviathan. I even tried to stop it before it started. You and Sam, you were never meant to be born.

John Winchester never knew that but you did. You watched your mother make the deal that led to her death. It would never have happened if she had left well enough alone. Then when you would've died John couldn't leave well enough alone and when Sam died you couldn't leave well enough alone. You Winchesters have a bad habit of never leaving well enough alone, but that's water under the bridge."

"You're blaming us?" Dean said temper flaring. "You're God, you're the one that's omnipotent!"

"True but when I created humanity I gave you free will. I can't interfere with that." God replied. "Bad decisions are your responsibility, not mine. But lets go back and see where you could have done things differently."


	2. Unnecessary Apocalypse

"You recognize this place but do you know what it is?" God asked.

Dean looked around unable to help the shiver that ran up his spine as he remembered watching Sam collapse to the ground when Jake stabbed him in the back. Sam had died here.

"Jake killed Sam here." Dean snapped.

"I didn't ask what happened here, I asked if you knew what it was." God said. "Cold Oak was a proving ground, for Sam. Azazel made a huge mistake here, he told Sam what it was. He didn't count on the Winchester ability to make the most stubborn mule seem tractable in comparison.

This is also the place where the Apocalypse was derailed. With one act of mercy, the boy with the demon blood brought everything to a halt. Sam spared Jake and then died ending it all."

"And Jake stabbed him in the back. Jake still opened the hellgate." Dean said.

"True but Jake wasn't Sam. None of Azazel's special kids were Sam. None of them could have opened the cage to release Lucifer. Only Sam could do that, it's why Azazel gave him the heads up in the first place. Sam was meant to kill the others in cold blood, Azazel wanted him to embrace his powers to prepare him for Lucifer. Sam was the important one, the others were just so much random garbage, practice targets. Sam was the only one with the proper bloodline."

"So what I was supposed to do, let him die?" Dean spat.

"He was already dead, he had earned his place in Heaven. You undid all of that by making a deal with a crossroads demon and putting the train back on the tracks." God said. "Bobby tried to warn you, but as I said Winchesters could give mules a lesson in being mulish. Had you let Sam stay dead, Lucifer would not have had a vessel and the Apocalypse would not have been an issue."

"Then why didn't you do something to stop it?" Dean asked.

"I did. Did you think your meeting with the Trickster was an accident?" God asked. "I charged Gabriel with the task of watching you."

"So you had Gabriel spy on us?" Dean asked.

"If you want to put it that way." God said. "When you first met at Crawford Hall, Sam had been tainted but had not embraced his demonic powers. You showed no signs of wanting to end the world, but you still chose to bring him back to life by making that deal. And by making that deal, you allowed the last piece of the puzzle to fall into place.  From there Gabriel took a more active role in things."

God waved her hand and suddenly they were sitting in a familiar diner "Let's see Doris? We're ready to order now."

Dean watched in disbelief as a familiar waitress came over to the table. God smiled at the woman. "I'll have pancakes with strawberry syrup and orange juice. My friend will have the special with a side of bacon and coffee."

God turned toward Dean, "You seem uncomfortable Dean, you allow this place to cause you anger when you don't even remember anything that happened here. This was however another moment when I chose to order Gabriel to intervene."

"I got killed about a thousand times by the Trickster." Dean hissed "I think I have good reason to be mad."

"The youngest Archangel is my messenger, my judgment and at times my wrath. What happened here was Gabriel following my orders. I told him to steer Sam away from the same stupid mistake that you had made. I also told him that he was welcome to bring a little wrath to you while he was at it for bringing the Apocalypse back online as it were.

I have to admit, my Gabriel is creative. I found myself quite amused at times watching your many methods of demise. You were quite graceful tumbling through the air when the old man ran you down."

"Wait a minute. Gabriel ran away from Heaven. He was hiding from all of you how did you tell him anything." Dean said.

"Do you honestly think that I wouldn't know where my messenger was at all times? He didn't want to be found anymore than I did. So I let him stay hidden. It was much better than the alternative."

God said smiling as Doris sat their orders in front of him. She poured a bit of cream and sugar into her coffee. "Gabriel has always been the most sensitive of the Archangels, perhaps it's because as the youngest we all spoiled him. But even before he ran away to Earth, he felt an empathy for you humans that the others did not. It's why I trusted him with the the key to the apocalypse."

"Wait a minute, he had the key to the Apocalypse?" Dean stuttered. "Why didn't he stop it?"

"Because he no longer holds the key. He gave it back to me when he left. I don't think you truly understand why he left.

Gabriel was caught in the middle of the fighting because his brothers all knew he could start the whole shebang at any time. Before Lucifer was cast down He was pushing Gabriel to start the apocalypse while Michael was telling him not to. It wasn't an enviable position to be treated like a bone between two dogs determined to fight. Gabriel loved both Michael and Lucifer equally. To have them use that against him, it hurt." God said. "So he came to me gave me the key, and asked me for permission to leave. It was painful to see the effect it had on him. So I ordered Michael to cast Lucifer into the cage. I had hoped that it would put an end to it. Lucifer had more support than I knew of. I granted Gabriel's request and hid the key."

"If you hid the key then how is it that it still happened?" Dean asked.

"Humans lock their homes and still burglars will find their way in." God explained. "It is no different, they found a way to jimmy the lock. But Sam stopped it. And even while those who wanted it were pulling strings, you could have stopped it at any time."

"Yeah right. And how was I supposed to do that." Dean asked.

"All you had to do was say yes to Michael." God said. "You had plenty of time to do so before it got to the point of Sam saying yes. Michael would have killed Lucifer in Nick's vessel and Sam would have been untouched.

I was no more cut off from my general than I was from my messenger. How do you think he showed up in time to keep Anna and Uriel from killing your parents?"

"If me and Sammy weren't supposed to be born, why did you bother?" Dean asked.

"Let me see if I can explain this in a way that you can understand," God leaned back and regarded Dean for a moment. "Existence is somewhat fluid but not totally. When you add something to it, you change the whole. Zachariah and his buddies added a lot to existence to bring about the births of Sam and Dean Winchester. They made you a part of existence, it was not that easy to simply remove you. Your presence changed things."

God signaled for the waitress. "Doris could you bring me a glass of water and a bowl of lemon wedges?"

Doris quickly gathered the items and made her way over to the table to set them down.

"Now, you are familiar with lemonade? It starts with water." God picked up a lemon wedge and squeezed the juice into the glass. "So you add lemon juice to the water and once you do it can never go back to being water without distilling it which is a lot of work. These are the changes that Zachariah made." She picked up the sugar dispenser and added sugar to the water. "If you add sugar you change the whole once again, this is the birth of you and Sam. This is what Zachariah did. He changed the whole. He added two very accomplished hunters to the mix and there would have been an unacceptable loss of life in this changed existence if you didn't exist."

"So Michael saves us on your orders." Dean said.

"Yes he saved you on my orders and he used your own father as a vessel doing so. You knew that he could use you as a vessel and leave you no worse for wear. You still refused to say yes. So Gabriel tried again to convince you with his TV Land reality and you still said no, even knowing that Sam was Lucifer's true vessel. Even knowing that every time you said no brought Sam closer to the time when he would have to say yes.

You knew deep inside no matter how much you try to deny it that the day would come, you would run out of options and be left with nothing but Sam saying yes. Michael was the only one in a position to step into his vessel at that point. Lucifer talked a good game but he was still occupied with solidifying his position." God said.

"And then the day came, when I was left with no choice. I told Gabriel about the keys to the cage. He stood between you and Lucifer at the Elysian. Lucifer was finally ready, he would have killed you that night and taken Sam." God turned a very unfriendly look on Dean.

"And you know what really stirs my wrath? You broke the world and then expected someone else to fix it. You wanted me to fix it. You wanted Gabriel to fix it. You even expected Gabriel to kill his own brother to fix your mistake. You refused to make a temporary sacrifice, that would have fixed things and spared your brother. Once again it fell to Sam to stop the Apocalypse at the expense of his soul and his sanity.

The truly sad part; with all Sam sacrificed, he couldn't even depend on you. You constantly harped on how you couldn't trust him. The whole fight the Apocalypse thing? It was all about you, so you could say that you never said yes. You could ride around on your high horse and claim to be the strong one when you sacrificed nothing. You pulled an angel down from heaven, destroyed every bit of trust your brother had that he could rely on you and earned the title of creation's biggest hypocrite but you know what? In the end Dean Winchester is heaven's biggest embarrassment, the so called 'Righteous Man' is our biggest shame.

When the angels sing to honor the one who saved creation, the name they praise is Sam Winchester. In the end your high and mighty holier than thou attitude meant nothing, accomplished nothing. You were completely worthless for all the faith that others put in you."

"So where were you? Cas hunted for you, he believed in you! You didn't lift a finger!" Dean said.

"No I didn't. As I said before, your bad decisions are not my responsibility. Free will remember? I gave you help, I sent you guidance I even sent you a message through Joshua to stop looking for me because I wasn't going to interfere, you are the one who chose to ignore it in favor of your own human will. You are the one who decided that it would be your way and no other.

And your decisions didn't improve after the apocalypse either."


	3. Soulless Sam, Clueless Castiel

Dean blinked as he suddenly found himself back in the motel room. Sam was sleeping albeit a bit fitfully. Seeing who was sitting beside the bed caused a growl to form in Dean's throat.

"How is he?" God asked as she appeared beside the bed looking down at Sam.

"He's beginning to devlop a low grade fever but other than that fine." Gabriel said as he bit into his candy bar. "Hey Deano! Looks like Mamma Mia found you, and you don't look too happy. Not liking the truths she's showing you?"

"Get away from Sammy you dick!" Dean said lunging forward.

"No can do big guy. I have my orders." Gabriel waved his candy bar in God's direction. "Mommy Dearest charged me with watching over him until you finish your little trip down memory lane. And believe me having her as your guide is a lot more enjoyable than having me.

I end up falling on My own sword for you and Sam thanks to Luci and the first thing I have to do when I get back is round up Leviathans and toss them back in Purgatory. I am so not a happy camper right now."

"Gabriel, just do what I asked you to do and stop antagonizing Dean." God said. "I only brought him back here to see that Sam is still alive, although he is getting sicker."

"I'll keep an eye on him. I'll let you know if he starts getting close to seriously ill." Gabriel said snapping up an issue of Mad Magazine.

"Thank you, Dean it's time for us to go." God said waving her hand only for the two of them to appear on a suburban street that Dean quickly recognized.

* * *

"What do Lisa and Ben have to do with anything?" Dean asked.

"Do you think that your choices were made in a bubble? The decisions you make affect effect everyone you come in contact with. You chose to come to them, you chose to follow Sam's last wish when he threw himself into the pit. But did you think about how those decisions would effect others?"

God asked. "You became a part of their lives. Even knowing that it meant dragging them into the life of a hunter. But why did you make that choice? You were never happy here for all that you tried to fool yourself into believing that you were. Why do you think you were so willing to to go with Sam when he finally showed up here?"

"Sam asked me to try." Dean said.

"It's not the first or last time Sam made a request of you, requests that you ignored." God studied the house. "You even knew it was a bad idea before you showed up on their doorstep. Sam wanted you to try to have a normal life yes, but do you think that he truly wanted you to drag others into something that he had fought so hard to get away from? Would Sam have really wished them to be targeted by demons, to be used as hostages?"

"Okay it was a bad decision, I get it." Dean snarled.

"Do you really? Because as I recall Castiel cleaned up this mess for you." God said. "Sound familiar? Isn't that what you expected me to do when it came to the Apocalypse, what you expected Gabriel to do when you made your grand speech back in that warehouse?"

"Let's try another point in time." God waved her hand again and Dean found himself in a motel room where a child was screaming on a bed while Castiel touched the child's soul. God shook her head. "You know Sam better than anyone else on this Earth and yet how long did you stick your head in the sand until you just couldn't live in denial any longer? You had seen the signs you knew something was wrong with Sam but you simply closed your eyes and let it continue."

"Sam had been in the cage! For all I knew it was from his experience there." Dean said.

"You didn't spend time in hell and come back as yourself? You never questioned this? You just accepted that this was a side effect?" God crossed her arms. "You can do better than that."

"There was a lot going on." Dean said.

"Granted, but when has that ever taken precedence over Sam's well being? When did anything ever take precedence over Sam?" God asked. "You did finally get your head out of your ass and fix it with a little help from a mutual friend. An opportunity he took on my behalf to try to teach you a simple lesson one you did not learn, or perhaps did not take to heart. You still couldn't see beyond the moment."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked.

"You only saw the immediate results of letting that child live. You didn't see how you effected the world. Every decision you make has far reaching consequences and they come back to you. Would you like an example? Castiel and the now returned to Purgatory Leviathans."

"Cas is the one who betrayed us by working with Crowley!" Dean argued.

"Yes he did but did you ever stop to think why?" God asked. "Castiel is a child, for all that he witnessed the formation of this world. A child who was sent here by Zachariah. In fact they are all children, only the Archangels could be considered adults and at times they are even more childish than the seraphs. All Castiel knows of human behavior he learned watching you and Sam."

"You want me to believe that Castiel doesn't know anything about us if he's been watching that long?" Dean snorted.

"There's a big difference between watching and experiencing Dean. Castiel only gained perspective by experiencing the interactions between you and your brother." God said. "How do you think he interpreted your behavior towards Sam in the days leading up to Lucifer's release from the cage? You taught him distrust."

"Wait just a minute!" Dean said.

"You never gave Sam your complete trust." God said. "Yes Sam had fallen under Ruby's spell but you even fell for it a bit didn't you? How did you handle that situation again? In full John Winchester style you attempted to control him. Did you forget how well that turned out with John? You pushed him away from you when he rebelled against being treated like like a well trained dog. All the while you spouted words about how he was your brother and you had to take care of him like he was a toddler who hadn't even mastered potty training. Do you think that Castiel never learned that lesson from you?"

"Taking care of Sam is my job." Dean said.

"Take care of him, not smother him, not expect him to look at you as if you were well, me." God said. "Instead of letting go of the apron strings, you simply wound them tighter. Had you put more trust in Sam then Ruby and Lucifer would not have had that to use against him. Had you tried to show the same faith in him that he tried to show in you, but you wouldn't."

"I don't see what my relationship with Sam has to do with Castiel." Dean said.

"Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe you gave Crowley the opening that he could exploit? Castiel was facing a war in heaven, I think it speaks volumes that after all the help he gave you, he didn't trust you to be at his side when he needed your help." God said. "After seeing how you treated Sam, do you believe that he would expect you to have more faith and understanding for an angel? After all you think that they are all feathered dicks right?"

"I'm not the only one that's screwed up and made mistakes." Dean said "Sam made mistakes and Castiel too."

"I'm aware of the mistakes that others have made Dean, but this little chat is not about the mistakes of others, it's about you and your mistakes. You're the one who put yourself out there as the General of Team Free will. When an army wins the war, it's the general that gets the credit because he leads the army. When an army loses a war it's the general that gets the blame. You set yourself up to be the general, you have to accept responsibility for the mistakes of your team." God said. "Castiel and Sam paid for their mistakes, they have done penance. What penance have you done?"

"I went to hell." Dean snarled.

"Oh yes, 30 years on the rack and then you broke and picked up a blade. No more being on the receiving end those last 10 years. And even during the first 30 you knew that you could stop the torture at any time. I'm quite sure that's comparable to 100 years plus stuck in a cage with two enraged archangels and not having any hope of making them stop using you for a chew toy. I'm sure Sam's time in the cage was a walk in the park." God's voice dripped with sarcasm.  "And when his soul was rescued by Death, Lucifer had managed to bury a piece of himself deep in Sam's psyche to continue to torture him through hallucinations. Sam has paid dearly for his mistakes." 

"Castiel took Sam's madness onto himself to make amends to your brother for the wrongs that Castiel had done to him, and let's not forget Castiel being dragged to Purgatory along with you and Dick Roman. He left your side because he was being hunted by Leviathans. The first thing Dick Roman did was to put a bounty on his head. You did show loyalty in finding him, I grant you that. You did try to rescue him and I'll grant you that also. But Purgatory was Castiel's penance. He made a mistake, one he wanted to atone for; it's why he allowed the vampire to bring you back and stayed behind with Leviathan hunting him.

Purgatory was bad but believe me it could have been much worse for you. Castiel ran a lot of interference for you; he kept the worst things away from you distracted a lot of the monsters that had a personal vendetta against you for sending them there, and threw himself in the path of the Leviathan that got too close."

God tilted her head in that angelic way. Dean was reminded of Castiel. "Gabriel tells me that Castiel has joined him. Shall we continue your lesson since Sam has two angel's watching over him?"


	4. The death of Amy Pond

"You know when a human picks up a rifle and heads out into the woods and shoots Bambi and takes the meat with them to feed people, that's hunting. When a human picks up a rifle and heads out into the woods and shoots Bambi just to put the deer's head on his wall as a trophy, I consider that murder." God said. "What happened in this room was akin to murder."

Dean recognized where he was. He knew that Amy Pond's body lay on the bed where she had fallen after he had stabbed her. "I know that I made a mistake here. I should have listened to Sam."

"Yes you should have. But not just because Sam asked you to." God said. "You will understand soon enough."

Dean watched as Jacob came out of the room. The boys face was tear stained and he watched as Jacob's shoulders shuddered with sobs.

"Tell me did you give any thought to Jacob when you killed Amy? Did you think about the fact that you were taking a child's mother away from him or were you just killing her because she was not human?" God asked.

"I asked the kid if he had somewhere to go." Dean answered.

"That is not the question." God said and then repeated the question. "Before you killed her, did you give any thought to him? Did you consider how he would survive or what would happen to a orphaned Kitsune?"

"She was a monster!" Dean said.

"Was she, really? Perhaps you should see Amy and her son together." God said and waved her hand.

* * *

Dean found himself in a kitchen. Amy and her son sat at a table talking.

"Mom you said Sam won't hurt us so why do we have to move?" Jacob asked.

"No Sam won't he's a nice guy. But all hunters are not like Sam." Amy said. "That's why we don't kill unless we have to. I hadn't killed anyone since I met Sam back in school. but this was an emergency. He understood that it was an emergency, you were sick. And the men I killed were bad men. We don't have to kill, we can get what we need other ways."

"Like working with dead people?" Jacob asked.

"Yes, they are already dead and what we need would just go to waste." Amy answered. "But we still have to be careful of hunters. Sam's family are hunters and they didn't sound nearly as nice as Sam. But it's getting late you need to get to bed. We need to get an early start tomorrow."

Amy and Jacob got up from the table. Jacob gave his mother a hug. "Night mom."

"Goodnight sweetheart." Amy watched her son leave the room before leaning against the counter and wrapping her arms around herself. "Please God keep him safe."

"Well Dean, does she look like a monster to you? Do monsters normally pray to me for protection?" God asked.

"Are we done here? I got it it was a mistake." Dean snapped.

"Dean, Dean, Dean; you are being very bullheaded. No we aren't done. We're going to see this through to the end." God said waving her hand. "You need to figure out the lesson I'm giving you here."

* * *

Sam was talking on his cell while walking to the Impala take out carton's in his hands. "No Martin, I don't want you to kill him. I want you to watch him that's all."

Sam sat the cartons on the roof while he unlocked the car. "Yes I know he's a vampire. He's supposed to be dry, feeding off of the stuff from blood banks. As long as he is, fine, but if he even thinks about falling off the wagon I'm going to be there to take his damned head myself."

Sam opened the door and slid behind the wheel. "Look, just watch him. Call me if he does anything. I'll come take care of it!" Sam ended the call and tossed his phone into the passenger seat.

"Tell me something Dean, why did you give Benny a pass? He's a vampire, but you won't kill him." God stared at Dean.

"Benny got me out of Purgatory, I owed him."

"And Amy saved Sam's life. He owed her but it didn't stop you from killing her. But you expect Sam to just give Benny a pass because he helped you get out of Purgatory." God shook her head. "As always, you refused to trust Sam but you demand he trust you. And then you sent him a fake emergency text from a woman he had walked away from trying to do the right thing when her husband who was supposed to be dead showed up alive and well.

Sam had accepted that what he had with her was over until he got that text. He shows up ready to come to her defense and instead sees her and her husband all cozied up together. Did you think about how much that was going to hurt him, and her? But it didn't matter to you as long as your vampire buddy was safe right? According to your definition Benny is a monster just like Amy was a monster."

"I shouldn't have killed her, I know that I told Sam that I was sorry." Dean said.

"That doesn't fix it Dean. That doesn't give Jacob his mother back." God said.

* * *

God waved her hand. Dean looked around at the unfamiliar building he was standing in front of. But having been to enough morgues in his carrier he quickly figured out that he was standing in front of a morgue.

"Where are we?" Dean asked.

"The question is 'When?' This is Jacob's future. The one you took away from him when you took away his mother. Speaking of which." God pointed at the woman heading toward the door.

Amy Pond was older, but it was still her. Before she could open the door, a tall young man pushed it open and stepped outside. The two hugged each other and walked over to a picnic bench that sat under a tree.

"What was so important, Jacob?" Amy asked as she sat down. "You sounded strange when you called."

"Mom do you remember when you told me about Hunters? You said that they hunt things that aren't human." Jacob said. "I think we need a hunter's help. We just got another body, the heart is missing just like the five from last week. I was wondering, do you know how to find Sam?"

"You want me to find Sam Winchester?" Amy said in a bit of shock. "That could be extremely dangerous, you know?"

"I know but it's like you said, Sam was a good man. If he's still around maybe he could help." Jacob said. "He let us go and he never hunted us over the years. I think we could trust him. The longer these killings continue the more at risk we are. Sooner or later, I think hunters are going to catch wind of this and I'd rather it be Sam Winchester than someone else that would kill us no questions asked."

"I don't like it Jacob. I trust Sam but if I start looking for him some of the others could hear of it and come here anyway." Amy said.

"Yes but I think Sam will listen to us. He'll find out what's responsible." Jacob said.

"Sam is the only hunter I trust, and you're right the sooner whatever it is is caught, the safer we'll be." Amy stood up. "I'll see what I can find on the internet."

"Why are they talking about contacting Sam?" Dean asked confused at the fact that monsters wanted monsters hunted.

"This is what would have happened if you had trusted Sam. When they moved, they moved here. Amy got a job at one of the funeral homes in town, Jacob went to school and became a coroner. They have lived here ever since. And Sam passes through town occasionally to keep an eye on them.

Neither one of them has killed anyone, feeding off of what they harvest from the dead. They are a part of the community and their community is the hunting ground of a group of Skinwalkers.

Believe it or not the people in this town are their friends. Amy and Jacob want to keep their neighbors safe. Thanks to them you and Sam find out that skinwalkers are beginning to form packs. Hunters manage to keep them from organizing any more than they have. Quite a few lives ended up being saved because they trusted Sam enough to try to find him. But because of what you did, Hunters will not figure out what is happening until many lives are lost.  Lives that would have been saved if Jacob was here to see the pattern." God waved her hand again. "It's time you see the timeline as it is now."

* * *

Dean found himself in the woods. Jacob was sitting on a log a young teenager's body sprawled out in front of him.

"His mother provided him with food. Now he has to feed himself. He has to target the young. To survive he has to hunt prey that he can overpower." God said. "Of course he has help."

Dean watched as a teenage girl came out of the woods and sat beside Jacob on the log. "So Jacob, you said wanted revenge on your mother's killer. I found the perfect hunt for them. Dean Winchester will be dead within the week." The girl's eyes bled to solid black.


	5. Demonic deal

"The kid made a deal with a demon?" Dean asked.

"She was willing to help him. The demon approached him to offer the deal. She'll help him hunt the Winchester that killed his mother. Not to mention the demon knows that where ever you are, Sam is always at your side. Some of them hold a big grudge over Lucifer being back in the cage, and Michael's presence is definitely making things very comfortable for the demons any time they get close to the cage." God said. "The chance to take out both Winchesters and guiding a young Kitsune's development into a murderous creature? As far as the demons are concerned it's a win-win situation."

"Come you can see Sam for a moment. He's taken a turn for the worse." God said waving her hand and bringing him to Sam's bedside.

"Gabriel, please, If you won't alleviate his suffering allow me to do so." Castiel tried to push past the Archangel as Sam thrashed on the bed caught in the grip of a fever.

"Castiel! Dad said to let him know if Sam took a turn for the worse. I've done that. It's up to Dad, not us." Gabriel said holding Castiel back. "Come on Bro I don't like it any more than you do, Sam's a good kid. Winchester dense in the head but still a good kid. But let Dad handle this." Gabriel looked up and spotted Dean and God "Or rather Mom, since he's still doing the hot chick thing."

God laid her hand on Sam's forehead and he quieted. "Gabriel, should he become delirious again you may ease the symptom but you will not interfere with the infection."

"Dammit he's dying!" Dean yelled.

"Yep Deano he is." Gabriel said. "That's a damned shame too since he's the only Winchester worth a damn as far as I can see. He has enough intelligence to to understand there's more to life than ganking everything he comes across. Unlike you."

Castiel stood rigid watching Sam breathe, hands jammed into the pockets of his trench coat. God drifted over to him and pressed a kiss on his forehead. "I know this is hard Castiel but praying to me won't help. Perhaps you should pray that Dean's mind becomes open to what I'm trying to teach him. If Dean remains closed minded once this part of the lesson is over, then there's no hope for Sam.

One way or another, it will be over soon. But do not try to interfere with Gabriel again, he has his orders." God stepped back and looked at Dean who was sitting on the side of the bed brushing Sam's hair back from his forehead.

"Why won't someone just tell me what to do? I can't lose him. He's the only family I've got." Dean said.

"We all know that Dean, but once again that pesky little thing called free will. You have to put the pieces together for yourself. We can't do that for you." God said not unkindly. "However from here on it's up to you. Either you will realize your lesson and Sam will live, or you will repeat your mistakes and he will die. None of us can interfere, only watch." God waved her hand.

* * *

Dean found himself behind the wheel of the Impala. Sam was dozing in the passenger seat. It took him a few minutes to realize what was happening. They were on their way to check out a reported poltergeist in Southern Virginia. Sam sort of snorted then stretched as much as was possible in the cramped confines of the car.

"Where are we?" He asked blinking a bit.

"Just outside of a town called Waverly." Dean answered. "Too bad you missed it. It was like driving through a time warp. Looked like the place hadn't updated anything since the 1950's."

Sam unfolded a map. "So another hour and a half or so, a little over 100 miles.. Why is Garth calling us in on a salt and burn again?"

"Damned if I know. Dude, it's Garth we're talking about." Dean said. "Damned if I know why he does half the stuff he does."

"Gas stop soon? Do it somewhere near food. I'm starving." Sam said with a yawn. "If you had just taken I-95 like I told you we'd already be there."

"Right Bitch. Like I can't read a map." Dean said.

"You are the one that got us lost Jerk." Sam replied as Dean turned the Impala into a Chevron station right next to a McDonalds.

The two got out of the car and Dean went to the back of the Impala to pop the gas tank while Sam took the opportunity to fully stretch. "You would end up next to a McDonald's." Sam grumbled.

"Come on Sammy! Ronald isn't half bad for a clown. He does good things. Bring me back a Double Cheeseburger and fries." Dean said as he started pumping gas. Sam turned to walk across the parking lot.

By the time Sam had gotten the food, Dean had filled the tank and gone in the convenience store and picked up a couple of sodas and was waiting beside the door. Sam opened the back door and pulled out his laptop and a Power cord adapter. Sam handed Dean his food while he got in then plugged the cord into the cigarette lighter. Sam opened the laptop and signed on to the internet.

"I thought you were starving." Dean said taking a huge bite out his burger.

"Yeah Not much of a selection." Sam said stealing a french fry. "I'll just wait until we get somewhere with real food. Besides I want to see what I can find on this haunting."

"Oh come on Sam. You don't trust Garth to do his homework?" Dean asked.

"It's not that I don't trust him Dean but something about this whole situation seems...off. And Garth may have taken over for Bobby, but we both know he doesn't know half as much as Bobby did. He doesn't know half as much as we do.  We could trust Bobby. After all he taught us more about the supernatural than Dad did. But Garth just doesn't have the experience that we do." Sam explained. "He called us for help that means that he's stumped about something. I'll just feel better if we do our own investigation alright?"

Sixty miles of AC/DC, Black Sabbath and Metallica later, Sam closed his laptop with a huff.

"Well, what did you find out?" Dean asked.

"It still looks like a salt and burn, but it doesn't feel like a salt and burn." Sam said. "Something is just not connecting right."

"So we go in help Garth take care of it." Dean said. "I can't see where there's anything different to do."

"Maybe we should poke around first." Sam said.

"Garth has already poked and prodded and annoyed the townspeople. We wait the ghost might just strike again." Dean said. "We can't take that chance. This one is pretty violent."

"I know that. And doesn't that seem odd to you? This ghost is way more violent than it has any cause to be." Sam said. "This ghost has been around for a while not doing much more than playing stupid pranks and now all of a sudden it's going Hannibal Lector on the town?"

"Maybe it held out this long?" Dean said.

"Come on Dean. Remember the ghosts in the Van Ness Mansion? None of them were vengeful other than Van Ness." Sam said. "I just can't see a non vengeful ghost suddenly going rabid a century later. There's been people living in that house with the ghost and it's never harmed any of them up until now. It just doesn't add up."

"Okay we'll talk to Garth and have him go over every detail of what he found out before we do anything okay." Dean said. "But for now I'm tired. I just want to get to the hotel, take a shower and get some sleep before tonight."

* * *

"So Mama/Pops, think Deano is going to get his head out of his ass?" Gabriel asked.

"It's up to him. I've shown him everything he needed to know. He just has to recognize his shortcomings and correct them." God said as she sat in a chair reading the Mad Magazine that Gabriel had snapped up. Gabriel sat on the side of the bed next to Sam munching on a Snickers bar while Castiel stood in the corner staring intently at Sam's form.

"He will make the right choice." Castiel said quietly.

"Have you forgotten who we're talking about here, Cassie? Dean Winchester. Deano can turn having your head up your ass into an art form." Gabriel said. "I won't hold my breath waiting on him to figure it out now. He's more likely to dig in even harder just to prove a point."

"I admit that Dean is stubborn. But his determination can be a blessing." Castiel said. "He will do everything he can to save Sam."

"Before or after it's too late?" Gabriel snorted. "From my experience Deano loves bashing his head into a brick wall until he just can't do it anymore. Then when he has the mother of all headaches, he gets the bright idea of looking for a door.

Sam's depending on a brother that will get him killed again to just prove a point and then after the damage is done wail his grief to the heavens and beyond."

"I believe that you will be proven wrong, Gabriel." Castiel said.

"Yeah? Well for Sam's sake, I hope you're right." Gabriel said.


	6. Jacob's demon

"Well that's the Garthmobile." Dean said. "We must be in the right place."

"It's a lot nicer than the places we usually stay, a motel with an attached restaurant." Sam said, then cringed as the door to one of the rooms opened and a spindly large eared form appeared.

"Hey guys!" Garth was grinning from ear to ear as he hurried over and grabbed Sam in a bear hug. "You found it!"

"I swear he's part Cupid." Sam grumbled under his breath as Garth released him and grabbed Dean for a hug.

"Uh yeah. Kind of hard to miss since it's on the main highway into town." Dean said pulling away from the over enthusiastic hunter. "So we're here. That restaurant have pie?"

At Garth's nod Dean said "Let us get checked in and we'll meet you there in say 15 minutes? You can tell us exactly what you've got."

"I'll go get us a table while you get checked in." Garth said hurrying off to the restaurant while Dean went to check them in and Sam began unloading the car. A little less than 15 minutes later and the trio were sitting in a booth at the back of the restaurant.

"So a salt and burn?" Dean said as the waitress headed to the kitchen with their orders. "Why do you need us if you already know what it is?"

"I don't guess it's need so much as wanting someone to watch my back. This ghost is one bad mofo." Garth said. "He does a real number on his victims."

"Does a real number on his victims how?" Sam asked.

"Let's just say that none of them will be having open casket funerals." Garth said. "Their heads are all bashed in."

"I guess that qualifies as extremely violent." Dean said. "You're sure it's a ghost?"

"The EMF readings are off the charts, man." Garth said. "So high I thought my meter was broken, but it's not."

"It would help if we could see one of the bodies." Sam said.

"The last victim was buried about an hour ago." Garth said. "I guess we could dig him up if you want but I'd rather put this thing down now."

"Don't mind Sammy, he's just being a girl." Dean said. "You have copies of any of the autopsy reports?"

"Yeah, I hung on to them. Figured you guys would want to take a look at them." Garth said. "They're in my room. I'll give them to you when you get back and you can look them over."

"See Samantha he kept them for you. You can put your woman's intuition to rest now." Dean said as the waitress came back with Dean's pie and a salad for Sam. "So eat, sleep and then gank this ghost."

* * *

Jacob Pond sat outside the tent he had been living in. The demon he thought was named Gozer sat next to him. It never failed to amuse the demon that the child fell for that one. Pick the name of a Demon from the movie Ghostbusters and a human child falls for it.

Jacob thought that this was a simple crossroads demon who had grudge against Dean Winchester. The demon had presented itself as such. In reality Jacob had no idea who he had allied himself with. The demon's true name was Dagon and Dagon would soon drag this child to hell along with a couple of Winchesters. It was time to undo the damage these meddlesome Winchesters had caused and release Lucifer from the pit once and for all. With Dean and the child to use as an incentive,Lucifer's vessel would soon say yes if only to spare the others. It was time to start the endgame.

"Jacob, Dean Winchester is here. You should eat. There's a man fishing down by the river. He'll do. I'll help you over power him and then we must place him to be found." Dagon said.

* * *

"Dean!"

Something soft hit him in his face waking him from a dream he couldn't remember. Dean let out a groan and rolled over with a mumble.

"Dean wake up! They found another body." Sam said as Dean sat up. "Same as the others. And I know what Garth meant by their heads bashed in."

"Definitely going to have to do this tonight Sam. We can't hold off on it." Dean said now wide awake. Dean saw that Sam was wearing his suit Fake FBI badge in his hand.

"Garth and I went to view the scene." Sam said as he laid the key to the room on the dresser and pulled off his tie. "Something is definitely off here Dean. I think we really should forget about the salt and burn and try to figure out what's going on."

"Look Sam, we do the salt and burn and then we worry about what else might be going on. I mean we know we've got a ghost so putting it down can only be a good thing." Dean said. "We go tonight just like we planned and you can worry about playing Nancy Drew tomorrow."

"Dean..." Sam started.

"Just shut it okay! Now I'm going back to sleep if I'm gonna have to dig up a grave in the middle of the night!" Dean rolled over and pulled his pillow over his head signaling an end to the conversation.

Sam stared at his brother's back for a few minutes before grabbing his laptop and stomping over to the table and plugging it in. He went to his e-mail and opened the attachments that Garth had sent to him earlier. There was something off about the crime scene photos but Sam just couldn't figure out what it was. There was something wrong with the crime scene he had just left also, but whatever it was he just wasn't seeing it.

Taking a different tack he decided to look into as much ghost lore as he could. He walked over to Dean's duffle and took out John's Journal then walked to his own and took out an old journal he had of Bobby's. He sat down at the table and threw himself into the research listening to Dean's soft snores.

* * *

"Dean I honestly don't think this is a ghost!" Sam said.

"Oh come on Sammy!" Dean said exasperated. "Are we going through this again? You spent all day on this and all you can come up with is it's not a ghost? Get in the car and let's go help Garth take care of this already!"

"Dammit Dean! For once will you just trust me!" Sam said.

"Sam, I trust you. Alright?" Dean said. "There's nobody else I trust to have my back during a hunt except maybe Cas."

"At your back, right." Sam said snidely. "You trust me as long as I play the good little soldier for you just like you played good soldier for Dad."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Dean said.

"I made a mistake with Ruby, I trusted her." Sam said.

"Yeah you did. And look at where it got us." Dean interrupted.

"There, that's what I'm talking about. I make one mistake and now I'm so stupid that my life is just one huge mistake after another that you have to make sure that I don't make, right?" Sam said bitterly. "I guess you forgot that you made the mistake of trusting Ruby too."

Sam opened the door to the Impala and got into the passenger seat. "Well what are you waiting for? You're so sure this 'ghost' is behind everything you're not going to listen to a damned thing I say."

Sam closed the door and pointedly looked out the window as the engine rumbled to life.

"Sammy..."

"Let's just go get this over with and hope we don't get our asses handed to us." Sam said folding his arms and doing his best to ignore Dean as they followed Garth out onto the highway.

* * *

"Looks like you've got more faith in Dean than he deserves doesn't it Cassie? He just can't get his head out of his ass can he?" Gabriel said sadly. Walking over to the bed he looked down at Sam's unconscious form. "Sorry your brother has Acute Recto-Cranial Syndrome kid. At least it will all be over soon and then you can rest kiddo."


	7. Not so simple after all

_Had you tried to show the same faith in him that he tried to show in you, but you wouldn't._

Dean had no idea where the thought had come from but he felt that it was important and that it had something to do with Sam.

Sam was sitting rigidly in the passenger seat staring at the darkness outside the window. Obviously Sam was convinced that it was not a ghost responsible for what was happening here no matter that the signs seemed to point to one. And Sam hadn't given Dean any reason to think that it was something else, but it was important to Sam.

"Sam call Garth, tell him to pull over." Dean said.

Sam glanced at Dean then pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons. "Yeah, Dean says pull over." Sam disconnected the call and looked at Dean as he pulled the Impala to the shoulder then got out leaving Sam to follow.

"We're almost there Dean it's just a couple of miles down the road." Garth said as he got out of his car and walked toward the other hunters.

"Yeah well, Sam isn't onboard with this whole salt and burn." Dean turned toward Sam. "Okay throw us a bone here Sammy. You've got to make us understand."

"It just doesn't feel right. I don't know what else to tell you. That scene we went to today something wasn't right but I can't just point to something specific and say this is why. It's something I'm not seeing or I can't explain." Sam said. "Look I know it doesn't make any sense, it's just the way it is okay."

"Look Garth, One more night. We'll all study everything and see what we come up with." Dean said. "I really don't want to walk into something if it's not what we think it is."

"And what happens if the ghost finds another victim tonight?" Garth asked. "You willing to chance that?"

Dean took a deep breath and let it out. "Sam is so, yeah, I am."

* * *

"It's better if you are not here Jacob. They should have come tonight but they did not." Dagon said. "I'll take you to the next town and get you a room."

"I don't understand why I have to leave. I want to be here. I want to watch him die. He killed my mom!" Jacob said.

"I understand Jacob, but he did not show up tonight. He is wary." Dagon explained. "If he sees you then everything we have done to get to this point will be for nothing. Dean Winchester will escape the justice he deserves. Your mother's death will go unpunished. Let me take you away from here and I promise that I will bring him before you before he dies. The last thing he will see is you."

Jacob looked up at the man that Dagon had possessed. "You promise?"

"Yes Jacob, I promise. Dean Winchester will die.

* * *

Sam followed Dean into the room while Garth went to his room, to collect everything he had gathered throughout his investigation of what was happening.

"Bobby." Sam said "Bobby didn't waste a lot of energy. There's a huge waste of energy here. Ghosts don't waste energy like this."

"What? I'm not seeing your point." Dean said as he pulled two beers out of the six pack they had picked up on the way back to the motel. Handing one to Sam, Dean sat at the small table. "What is there like energy conservation for ghosts or something?"

Sam picked up a folder and opened it showing Dean photos from the crime scene he and Garth had visited earlier. "I mean why go through all the trouble of bashing the guy's head in? A lot of that was done after the guy was dead. Why the extra head bashing to pretty much turn this guy's skull into tiny little fragments? His brain was pretty much turned into puree."

"You're saying it was overkill?" Dean said laying the photo down.

"That's putting it mildly Dean. That's way past overkill. Why?" Sam asked sitting down in the other chair and sipping his beer.

"If it was human, I'd say it was to hide something." Dean said. Then stood up when there was a knock at the door.

Sam turned the photo around and studied it while Dean opened the door to let Garth in. "Dean in all the years we've salted and burned ghosts, have you ever seen a ghost that causes injuries this uniform?"

Dean blinked as he closed the door behind Garth. "Come to think of it, no. Not this perfectly uniform. What's so special about the heads."

Sam now blinked. "Not the heads, the brains. There's something about the brains."

"Sam, did Amy ever say anything about her kid's father?" Dean asked.

"Amy, no she didn't. Are you thinking maybe this is Jacob's father?" Sam asked.

"Well Jacob can't be doing it. I mean he's too young." Dean said. "You said Amy wasn't any stronger than any other kid right. She was just fast. But to do that, well that takes a lot of strength." Dean pointed to the picture.

"Who is Amy?" Garth asked.

"That's a long story." Sam said.

* * *

"Perhaps Dean deserves more faith than you have shown him Gabriel." Castiel said. "He listened to Sam. They did not walk into Dagon's trap."

Gabriel's hand rested on Sam's forehead as he willed the fever to lower below the critical point to keep the delirium at bay. "Maybe, but Sam isn't out of the woods yet. Dean still has to carry through. Just postponing walking into the trap won't change anything."

"He has demonstrated a willingness to trust Sam's word." Castiel said.

"He didn't trust Sam's word Castiel, Sam had to nag him into it.." Gabriel said. "Dean still hasn't learned anything. Dean has to learn that he can't control everyone and everything. He has to learn to listen to others, and not when things are all screwed up by his stubbornness. He has to learn to listen in the beginning.

Hopefully he won't screw up, Sam will live and Dean will realize that he should listen to Sam from the beginning." Gabriel snapped up a cool damp washcloth and wiped the sweat from Sam's brow. "Believe it or not Castiel, I'm rooting for him, really I am. I'm just not going to set myself up for a disappointment by having any expectations of him."

* * *

Garth shook his head. "A Kitsune. I didn't think there were any of those in the U.S."

"Yeah well there is. And they feed off of the pineal gland." Dean said.

"How many of these Kitsune have you come across?" Garth asked.

"Including Amy, Jacob and Amy's mom? Three." Sam said.

"You know if this is a Kitsune, odds are it's the kid." Garth said.

"Before we go blaming Jacob, I think we should probably take the time to backtrack and interview all the witnesses again and look at the autopsy reports." Sam said. "I don't think Jacob could really do this."

"I don't think the kid is strong enough either." Dean said. "But if Jacob has a father, Papa Kitsune would be."

"So in the morning, we'll go talk to the Coroner." Dean said. "See if we can get a lead on anything."

Sam was frowning at the crime scene photos. "Oh crap. I can't believe I missed this."

"Missed what?" Garth asked picking up one of the photos.

"Blood splatter." Sam said. "There isn't any. If these guys had their heads bashed in like this there should be blood splattered everywhere. The crime scenes are clean."

"So?" Dean asked.

"So they all died somewhere else." Sam said. "There would be a lot more blood splattered around on the walls and the floor near the bodies."

"So now we can add finding a killing ground to our to do list." Garth said.

"So much for a simple salt and burn." Dean said.


	8. A hunter in the mix

The three hunters had decided on their plan of investigation over breakfast. Dean and Garth would poke around the woods and see if they could stumble across anything, while Sam would talk to the Coroner and witnesses. Which was how Sam just happened to be in the Police department when Mrs Weaver called in to report her husband missing.

"You don't seem too concerned about Mr Weaver being missing." Sam said to Chief Barnes.

"Well Dan Weaver has a habit of going off on these benders." The chief replied. "He's been doing this for ten years now."

"I'd like to talk to Mrs Weaver if you don't mind." Sam said.

"Hey if the FBI wants to waste their time chasing after the town drunk, have at it." The chief said. "He'll more than likely turn up on the doorstep this afternoon reeking of whiskey and another woman. I don't know why Delores put's up with it."

Sam covered his snort with a cough. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the information on the next of kin. I'll get right on interviewing them." Sam stood up and shook the man's hand and walked out of the building taking a moment to look around the town square. If it wasn't for the bodies turning up out at the old farm, this would be a beautiful place for a family to settle down.

Sam sighed and pulled out his phone dialing Dean's number as he got in the car. Dean answered on the third ring. "How's the nature hike going?"

_"Did I ever tell you how much I hate nature hikes?" Dean said._

"Yeah right, well I just finished at the police department and seems we now have a missing person on top of the dead bodies." Sam said. "The town drunk has disappeared but since it's a habit for him, nobody is worried. I'm on my way to talk to his wife now."

_"Did you talk to the coroner?" Dean asked._

"Yeah, he said there was no way to tell if there was anything missing from the brains. Most of them had been reduced to pulp." Sam said. "I'm headed to the Weaver residence now to talk to her, see if her missing husband fits in here somewhere. Then I'll start on the next of kin list."

_"Dammit!" Dean exclaimed. "I thought this was supposed to be a trail Garth? Look Garth and I are going to keep looking around out here. We'll meet you back at the motel when you're done."_

Sam started the car and drove the mile and a half to the Weaver house which was fairly isolated at the end of a red clay road. A large covered porch ran the length of the front of the house with hanging plants swaying over planters filled with various types of greenery. Someone here had a green thumb.

Sam knocked on the door which was opened by a gray haired woman wearing polyester pants and a sweater. The woman poked her head out of the door. "Can I help you?"

Sam held up his FBI Badge. "Yes ma'am, I'm Agent Waters with the FBI. I happened to be at the police department when you called to report your husband missing."

"FBI huh?" the woman said "Well I have to admit this is a new one. Ain't never had nobody do much more than bring him home before. I guess it's cause of those people getting themselves killed over at the Preston farm right?"

"We'd just like to make sure it's not connected." Sam said.

"Well don't just stand there like a lump boy. Come on in." She said opening the door wider allowing Sam to step into the entry. "I got to say I hope you boys got more sense than the boys downtown, maybe yall can find out what's happening over there. All this commotion about ghosts. It's enough to drive any sane person flat out insane."

Mrs Weaver lead the way to the kitchen. "Sit down I was just about to have a cup of coffee and do the crossword puzzle in the paper. I read somewhere that doing puzzles helps keep a body's mind from going when you get older. I've been doing the crossword every day for the past 30 years." She said proudly pouring two mugs of coffee and setting one in front of Sam.

"Thank you." Sam said looking down at the coffee.

"Now I told you about me keeping my mind sharp for a reason young man." She placed a cake plate on the table. "Oh would you mind handing me a couple of small plates from that cupboard behind you?"

Sam got up and walked over and took down two plates and handed them to the woman who smiled. "Take a good look around boy. You might want to take a look under the rug there where your chair is."

Sam frowned at her and then did as she asked lift the edge of the rug, revealing a devil's trap. He looked at her shocked. "I'd like you to take a sip of that coffee if you don't mind. I brew it with holy water, and I'm sure you know what this is for." She said laying silver knife on the table.

"You're a hunter?" Sam said as he picked up his coffee cup and took a sip before making a shallow cut in his arm with the knife.

"No, but my first husband was. I picked up a few things from him before he died." She sat down. "I was wondering how long it would take for the hunters to pick up on what is happening around here. Now I'm sure that your name isn't Agent Waters so what do I call you other than boy?"

"Sam, Sam Winchester." Sam said as she slid a slice of carrot cake across the table.

"Winchester? Any relation to John Winchester?" She asked with a sharp look. "My late husband used to hunt with Samuel and Deanna Campbell now and then. Their daughter Mary was just head over heels with this John Winchester fellow. Of course Samuel didn't like it none. John wasn't a hunter. Hell Samuel didn't like me none to well either cause I wasn't a hunter. Always thought civilians were liabilities."

"John and Mary were my parents." Sam said quietly.

"Were? Oh I am so sorry. Mary was a sweet girl if a bit headstrong, and that John was a looker too." Mrs Weaver said. "Well Sam, I'm Delores Weaver. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Sam's cell started to ring and he pulled it out noticing the number. "Excuse me, it's my brother." Sam said as he walked into the living room to answer the call.

"Your brother a hunter too?" Delores asked when Sam had returned to the kitchen.

"Yes ma'am, we work together." Sam said.

"I think he might want to hear what I've got to say too. Things around here ain't exactly what they may be looking like to you."

* * *

God drew her hand back. "That should hold him stable for a while. Hopefully Dean won't revert when he's so close to doing this right.

"Father,why did you choose now to involve yourself with  the Winchester's lives?" Castiell asked.

"I don't want to see everything they have gone through be for nothing. Even if Sam dies, Dagon will still be running loose. He doesn't need to free Lucifer to cause destruction, he's perfectly capable of it on his own." God said.

"You are using them." Castiel said flatly.

"Yes, I am." God said. "Dagon is good at hiding, he's finally revealed himself. I gave him a second chance already, and he wasted it."

Gabriel suddenly knelt in front of her. "Father, please. There is no need to burden a seraph with the concerns of the higher angels."

"It's been a long time since you knelt before me in supplication Gabriel. I do believe there's hope for you yet." God said. "Very well, I will speak no further."

"Thank you." Gabriel said.

"Why are you using the Winchesters?" Castiel demanded.

"Drop it Castiel!" Gabriel said getting to his feet. "Father has said he will speak of it no more. Just let it be."

"There are things that I must attend to." God said. "Gabriel call on me if Sam worsens."

Castiel tilted his head wondering what their father had been about to say before Gabriel interrupted. Castiel had not spent much time around Gabriel before he left Heaven but he had heard rumors that painted the Archangel as somewhat irreverent. After hearing God mention that Gabriel had not knelt before him in some time, Castiel wondered if there was not some truth to the rumors.

"Who is Dagon Gabriel?" Castiel asked. "If Father has given Dagon a chance before he must have been a part of the choir."

"Father will not speak of it, Castiel neither will I. Please for the love of all that is holy, let it drop. I won't ask you again. The next time it will be an order." Gabriel said.


	9. Angelic wars

"It looks like your brother is here." Delores said setting her glass of iced tea on the table. She and Sam were sitting on the front porch drinking tea while Delores told him stories about Samuel and Deanna Campbell. "Let me guess Dean would be the one with the attitude?"

Sam bit back a laugh. "That's one way to put it. Dean took after Dad a lot more than I did. He just tends to be suspicious."

"John must have changed quite a bit then." She said standing up. "John was cautious, but I figured that was from the war."

"Sam, you want to talk to me for a minute?" Dean asked.

Delores gave Sam a smile. "Go ahead, I'll take this young man inside and get him a glass of iced tea. Just come on in when you boys are done." She threaded her arm through Garth's and led him inside.

As soon as the door closed Dean turned on Sam. "What the hell Sammy! You get us to put off a salt and burn that we should have done last night, then you tell me and Garth to come out here to find you having tea and crumpets with Martha Stewart! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Sam's answer was to shove a book into Dean's chest which Dean grabbed on pure reflex. Looking down at it he saw it was a Journal.

"Open it." Sam said flatly.

Dean flipped it open. "A hunter's journal? Randall Peterson?" Dean read the name on the inside.

"Delores's late husband, He was a hunter." Sam said. "He knew Samuel and Deanna Campbell, even hunted with them sometimes. She wants to talk to us about what's going on around here." Sam went to the door and stopped with his hand on the knob. "Coming?"

Dean followed Sam into the kitchen where Garth was drinking a glass of iced tea. Delores handed another glass to Dean. "Drink up." She said.

"She's not trying to poison you Dean, she used holy water to make the tea." Sam said.

"Holy iced tea?" Dean said taking a sip.

"Who says you can't make holy water taste good." Delores said. "So you Winchester boys want my help or not?"

* * *

Dan Weaver paid for a couple of nights at the hotel. Grabbing the key, he made his way out to the truck and got Jacob. "I told them that you were my son. They shouldn't bother you. I'll be back tomorrow for now I need to get back and find out what the Winchesters have been up to. Can I trust you not to eat the maid?"

* * *

Delores led the hunters to the basement. "I'm sure yall are familiar with Panic rooms? This is mine." She said fitting a key into a door on the far side of the space and swinging it open.

"Please come in and close the door behind you?" The hunters looked around the room. Every inch of the walls floor and ceiling was covered with Sigils, runes, hieroglyphs and cuniform. In each corner stood a pillar with a bowl and candle.

As they watched she went to each pillar lighting the candle and sprinkling herbs and oil in each bowl. They watched as she took a slip of paper and tore it into quarters. She wrote something on all four slips of paper before going to the first pillar. Dropping the paper into the bowl she used the candle to light the contents of the bowl before moving on to the next one. Soon pungent smoke was coming from all four bowls.

"Invocations to the Archangels." she explained. "I'd prefer this conversation to remain private."

"You learned all this from being married to a hunter?" Dean asked skeptically.

"Not all of it. Some is knowledge passed down to me as a Magi." She said. "Sit down boys. I'm sure that you've figured out that your not dealing with a ghost. The whole Haunting at the Preston farm thing is a very long running hoax. One that was created and has been maintained to keep people away. However people tend to gravitate to so called 'hauntings' these days like amusement park rides. There is however something on the Preston property.

A rock deep in the woods with a sigil carved into the surface. That rock could be used to summon something very dangerous and evil to this world. I moved here after the death of my first husband to keep an eye on things. To watch for exactly what is happening now."

"And what is happening now?" Garth asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Well that is why I wanted you all here. A couple of years ago I started noticing Omens or what you hunters call Demon Signs. They were very subtle, if I didn't know about that stone, I would have overlooked them also."

"So someone summoned whatever is connected to that rock?" Sam asked.

"Not exactly, it wasn't a person that summoned it as much as it was an event. I think it probably was weak when it was first summoned. It took some time for it to gain strength. Tell me, how much do you boys know about angels?"

"Enough to know that whatever they have a hand in is going to be major bad news." Dean said.

"So I'm assuming your knowledge of their history is non-existent, especially the Angelic Wars. That stone is where one of the fallen was cast down." She said.

"Lucifer was cast down in Virginia?" Dean asked.

"Lucifer is not fallen, he is caged. There's a difference. And Lucifer was not caged until the third Angelic War." Delores looked around the table "Okay Heavenly History 101. There have been three Angelic Wars. The Imprisonment of the Leviathan, The rebellion of Kemuel and the Imprisonment of Lucifer. There is a prophecy that a fourth Angelic War will occur, The Battle of Meggido when Michael will defeat Lucifer once and for all."

Sam and Dean shared a look at that since they knew just how close the Battle of Megiddo had come to occurring. So the stone has something to do with the Angelic Wars?" Sam asked.

"The Rebellion of Kemuel, yes. Before God created mankind, he created something called the Leviathan. Kemuel was somewhat of a 'guardian' to the Leviathan.  God had them all locked into Purgatory, then Kemuel rebelled and God ordered that his followers be cast down and Kemuel himself be killed. According to ancient texts all went as God had ordered until Michael cornered Kemuel on the battlefield. As Michael was about to strike a killing blow Gabriel interceded.

He knelt before God's throne and begged for Kemuel's life. God agreed and swore an oath to Gabriel never to strike the rebel angel down and Kemuel was spared; his followers cast down. The text goes on to say that Gabriel later found Kemuel attempting to open Purgatory to release the Leviathan. The stone marks the place where Gabriel cast Kemuel into Purgatory. God stripped Kemuel of his name and Kemuel came to be known as the demon Dagon. And since Gabriel had been the one to beg for Kemuel's life, God charged him with keeping the Leviathan contained in Purgatory."

"Mystery Spot makes a lot more sense now." Sam said. "He was trying to keep me from making the same mistake. He saved his brother and it came back to bite him in the ass."

Castiel stood invisible in the corner. He remembered Kemuel's Rebellion. He had fought in that war. He had not known why God had chosen to spare Kemuel at the last moment. He also remembered when Kemuel disappeared. It had been a great mystery to the entire host.

When Gabriel vanished from Heaven, most thought that he had joined Kemuel, but he hadn't. Kemuel had been in Purgatory all along.

In Purgatory, among the souls that Castiel had absorbed, just like the Leviathan. Castiel realized that Kemuel, or Dagon, like the Leviathan had been released when He opened the door to Purgatory. This is what Gabriel had asked God to keep secret. And Castiel also now understood Why God was using the Winchesters. Their father had made a vow and was just as bound by it as any angel would be.


	10. The Library

"Where did you run off to?" Gabriel asked as Castiel appeared next to the bed.

"I was curious, I went to the Winchesters to see how things were progressing. They are with a Magi." Castiel said. "She was telling them about the Angelic Wars, specifically Kemuel's Rebellion."

Castiel watched as a closed look came over Gabriel's face. He felt the Archangel draw his grace tightly into himself.

"Sam believes that talking about unpleasant feelings can make them easier to deal with." Castiel said.

Gabriel let his Trickster mask slide over his features but Castiel now understood that it was a mask. "Cassie! Offering to have a chick flick moment? What would your little Deano say about that?"

"Our father spared Kemuel for you." Castiel said softly. "It's why Father was surprised that you would bend your knee to keep him from telling me that I was the one that released Dagon from Purgatory. It's why rumors in Heaven spoke of your irreverence. It was not necessary for you to spare me knowledge of my mistake, Gabriel."

"It's my mistake Castiel. If I had let Michael kill him, we wouldn't be in this mess now." Gabriel said. "But I couldn't let him go. Michael, Raphael, Lucifer; they all warned me but I wouldn't listen. Kemuel and I were created together, Father brought him onto being only hours before I was brought into being.  We were practically twins, we were as close as Michael and Lucifer. In the end I had to cast him down. And even knowing that he would not give up his rebellion, I couldn't kill him.

Look where it's brought us Castiel, right back to the beginning. That's on me."

* * *

"Sam what do you mean he was trying to keep you from making the same mistake? Gabriel vanished after Lucifer was imprisoned. No one knows what happened to him." Delores said. "Only that he is alive.

"The midget skipped out of heaven and went into witness protection." Dean said. "If you know he vanished what is all this about?" Invoking the Archangels?" Dean swept his hand around the room to indicate the pillars.

"Rituals have power of their own. Even without the participation of individuals." Delores said. "But you know where Gabriel is?"

"He's dead. We crossed paths with him a few times and the last time he died." Sam said. "Lucifer killed him."

"Are you sure of that?" Delores asked. "I don't know of any prophecy about Gabriel's death at the hands of Lucifer, but there is a prophecy that Gabriel will signal the start of the Battle of Megiddo. It would be kind of hard for him to do that if he is dead."

"Wait Gabriel signals the start of the Apocalypse?" Dean asked. "I guess you Magi have a lot of information you're sitting on huh?"

Delores looked at the hunters. "Come with me." She led them to another door and opened it. A small room was revealed. Two computers sat on desks and a server hummed in the background.

"My library." She said proudly. "I've been entering information on these servers for 20 years. There's only so much cleaning you can do, so this is my hobby."

Sam looked at Delores. "You're just one surprise after another aren't you."

"Glad I can keep you young men guessing." Delores said sitting in front of one of the computers. Opening a window she typed 'Gabriel" into the query box and gestured at the screen. "Every bit of information we have on the Archangel Gabriel. As you can see he disappeared soon after the crucifixion, Around the time of Lucifer's imprisonment. Then nothing until the The Battle of Megiddo when he sounds his horn to signal the charge against the forces of Lucifer."

"Is it just information on angels in here or do you have information on other supernatural creatures?" Sam asked.

Delores gestured at the chair next to her. "See for yourself. Just type master list in the query box."

Sam opened a window on the computer. He was amazed at the size of the list. Hundreds of supernatural creatures were listed in addition to a section on Cryptids.

Dean let out a whistle. "Man this is a hunter's dream! Physical description, abilities, how to kill them."

Delores typed Hunter into the query box. "Hunters were once allied with the Magi. We gathered information and the hunters destroyed creatures that deserved to be destroyed. Then there came a parting of the ways known as the Inquisition. Some hunters began working for the church and The Magi lost a lot of good people to the superstitions of the day.

Now we may choose to work with a hunter here or there but that's it. I'm one of the few who chose to work with a hunter and ended up marrying him. It's how I met Samuel and Deanna."

"Speaking of which, I met Samuel and he didn't trust other hunters." Dean said.

"Randall and Samuel didn't meet as hunters, they met during the Korean war. I suppose dodging bullets together goes a long way toward building trust." Delores said. "And since I trusted Samuel and Deanna, I'm extending that trust to you. You have access to quite a lot of information here hopefully it will help you against Dagon. I will ask for something in return, however.

You say you've come across Gabriel a few times, I'll ask you to fill in the blanks."

Sam went back to the Query Page and typed in 'Loki' then he opened another window and typed in 'Trickster'. "There. The blanks are filled in. Gabriel's personal Witness Protection Program. He passed himself of as the Norse God of Mischief and when Paganism went downhill, he became The Trickster."

"He hid in plain sight, clever." Delores said. "So you boys do a little research and I'll start supper. I hope you like pot roast."

Dagon noticed two things when he pulled up to the house. First there were two cars there that didn't belong. Second, one of the two cars belonged to the Winchesters. That was an unpleasant surprise.

Dagon planned to kill the Winchesters yes, but Dagon planned to set the terms of that meeting and these were not it. The demon weighed his options. He could go in and face them but the dwelling was unfamiliar to him other than it's location. Dagon had no way of knowing what awaited inside.

He could draw the Winchesters out of the house but there was no guarantee that he could subdue them both at once. There was a final option.

Dagon was not the only fallen. His followers had been cast down. Calling them would cause clearly recognizable demon signs. Signs that could draw more hunters to the area. Hunters could be handled.

The risk was that Heaven would recognize the signs. His former siblings would not be so easily handled. Michael would take any opportunity to finish what he had started on the battlefield eons ago.

Dagon felt a bit of nostalgia remembering how close he was with the messenger at one point. From fledglings he and Gabriel had grown together and matured under the guidance of heaven and the watchful eyes of Michael, Lucifer and Raphael.

Then came the day when Father had given them their purpose. Gabriel to be the messenger and Kemuel as he had been known to guard the Leviathan. Father had intended Kemuel to keep them subdued and protect the Earth, instead Kemuel came to know them and then to admire them. When father decreed that they be locked away Kemuel had defended the beasts and been sentenced to death for it. Father was quick to let Kemuel know that Gabriel had begged for his life.

Kemuel sighed, there were fleeting moments when he regretted his choice. Gone before the thought even began to form. A betrayal Gabriel had called it. And then he had cast Kemuel into Purgatory.

Gabriel would recognize that the demon sign was his, Dagon was willing to risk Gabriel finding out. After all Gabriel would listen to him and if Dagon was lucky, be swayed by his words.


	11. The Summons

Delores hurried to her panic room. Opening the door to her library she saw Dean and Sam had their heads together over over the computers while Garth had an old book studying it.

"Boys we have a problem. Sudden electrical storms out of a clear blue sky never bode well." She told them.

"Dagon?" Dean asked looking up.

"A good possibility but if it is, he's done with being subtle." Delores said. "That means one of two things. He's strong enough to do whatever he plans to do or he's desperate."

"Got another problem guys. According to this book, God can't kill Dagon for some reason. But Michael can." Garth said.

"Oh great. Michael's stuck in the cage with Lucifer. I doubt he's going to be too eager to go to bat for us. He was willing to sacrifice billions before." Dean said. "Stop the Apocalypse by restarting the Apocalypse. Hell of a choice there."

"I'm thinking that there are more blanks in my information. I noticed the look between the two of you when I mentioned the Battle of Meggido." Delores said glancing at Sam and Dean in turn. "And the stop the Apocalypse by restarting it? Want to tell me what that's all about?"

"Look we get that you don't think Gabriel is dead, but it's how he died." Sam said. "He got between us and Lucifer, gave us time to escape. He left us a DVD telling us how to put Lucifer back in the cage.

"See Sam and I are Michael and Lucifer's vessels Sam said yes to Lucifer. I wouldn't say yes to Michael so he went after our half brother. Sam jumped into the cage with Lucifer riding on his back and pulled Adam in too." Dean said. "Humanity 1 Apocalypse 0."

"No wonder Dagon is back. Lucifer had very little love of humanity to begin with but now? He's really enraged. Pop him out of the cage and he'll destroy every living thing on the earth." Delores said. "You didn't stop anything, you just delayed it."

"What do you mean delayed it?"

"I'm assuming that Lucifer got out through the breaking of the seals?" Delores asked.

"Yeah, we didn't know that Lilith was the final seal until it was too late. Angels holding me in solitary didn't help either." Dean said. "Castiel had a change of heart and let me out but it was too late to stop Sam from killing her."

"Looks like we need to figure out how to lock down Lucifer's cage" Delores said. "We're going to need help for that. Tell me about Castiel."

"He pulled me out of Hell." Dean said and rolled up his sleeve revealing the handprint.

"You're marked." She said awed. "It's been thousands of years since a human has been marked by an angel, even longer since one has been pulled out of hell. Too bad he's not an archangel, he would know all about the cage. But Gabriel has visited you more than once he obviously has taken an interest in you. So lets summon an Archangel."

* * *

"Castiel, Stay with Sam call Father if there's any change." Gabriel said a pained look on his face.

"Gabriel?" Castiel questioned.

"The Moron-chesters have nothing better to do than summon me." Gabriel answered as he disappeared from Sam's bedside only to find himself drawn into a room occupied by four humans and surrounded by powerful warding and a ring of holy fire.

Gabriel sighed. "You two chuckleheads just don't know when to leave well enough alone do you?" He said to Sam and Dean before turning to look at Garth. "Oh Father help us! You're Singer's replacement?" Then he turned to Delores. "Magi, how about we dispense with the holy fire before it pisses me off."

Sam grabbed a fire extinguisher and was about to put the fire out when Dean grabbed his arm. Gabriel's eyes flashed gold for a moment. "Deano do you really want to continue to be reigning Douchebag of the Year?"

Dean reluctantly released Sam who quickly smothered the flames.

"Better." Gabriel snapped up a Milky Way bar. "Now want to tell me why I'm here? I was in the middle of something important."

"You're not dead?" Sam said.

"Nope. It will take more than Luci stabbing me with my own blade to do away with me. But believe me even a moment of non existence isn't fun." Gabriel said then looked at Sam. "Well maybe it is a bit more fun than your life Sammy, but not by much. Now can we drop the small talk and get to why I'm here?"

"You're not what I expected." Delores said.

Gabriel snapped his fingers suddenly changing his appearance. He was now wearing a long white robe, a fluffy set of wings spreading behind him. A glowing halo was hovering over his head and he held a harp in one hand. "This more like it sister?" he snarked.

"I know that angels are warriors. I am a magi." Delores answered respectfully.

"Stop being a dick!" Dean said.

"Well isn't that a case of the human pot calling the angelic kettle black." Gabriel said. "I think you could've given Zachariah and Uriel lessons in dickhood. How's the dickishness been working out for you so far?"

"Dean stop. We need his help." Sam said.

"You need my help? Sammy I like you kid, I really do; but you two morons have got to kick this habit of playing damsels in distress to my knight in shining armor. I can't give you any more help than I'm already giving you." Gabriel said. "Even Father has personally taken an interest in helping you. He's given you a second chance, it's how you've gotten this far."

"I don't understand? What do you mean how we've gotten this far?" Sam asked.

"Things have changed, but they haven't changed enough. This is on you Dean." Gabriel said. "All I can do is tell you to remember how well being a dick has turned out for you so far. You're the butterfly flapping your wings, What you do affects everything around you remember that. What's happening now is because of your actions in the past. Try thinking about the consequences of what you do now."

"That's really straight forward and not cryptic at all." Dean said.

"How's this for straight forward then? You hold Sam's life in your hands. You make the right decisions, take the correct actions and Sam lives. Make the wrong decisions and Sam dies." Gabriel said. "Believe me Deano, You can never go back to change a wrong decision. You just have to try to make better decisions in the future. I know from experience, my wrong decision is staring you in the face thanks to Castiel's wrong decision.

Castiel made a wrong decision because you made the wrong decision of not listening when he told you that the righteous man was the only one who could stop the apocalypse. All Sam could do was slap a band aid on things."

"So you won't help us?" Sam asked.

"I'm already helping you Sam." Gabriel said gently. "This is father giving your brother a second chance. But in another time and place I'm keeping hell out of your fever fueled dreams. I'm keeping you alive long enough for Dean to fix this."

"Ah Dude, we did have a question." Garth piped up.

"Well it does speak after all!" Gabriel snarked. "Save it. The cage is of no importance, Dagon is. Figure out how to handle Dagon before he sets his sights on opening the cage. Lilith is dead, the final seal can never be repaired.

Dagon was once an Archangel, but he was cast into purgatory long before Lucifer was tossed in the cage. He doesn't have the knowledge that Michael, Raphael and I hold of the cage. Take care of Dagon before he gains the knowledge.

And before you even bring it up, Dean. I wouldn't kill Lucifer and I'm not going to kill Dagon either. Deal with it."

The humans looked around the room to find that the Archangel was gone.

"Well that wasn't much help." Dean said.

"Actually it was." Delores said. "We know that this is a chance for you to fix things. And we know that the key to fixing things is Dagon. Dagon is doing something because we've got demon signs. And that somewhere along the line you made decisions that brought us here and you need to make better decisions from now on."

* * *

Gabriel appeared before Castiel holding a sword and scabbard. "Castiel, make sure that Dean can find this."

"Is that Michael's sword?" Castiel asked awed.

"Yep. Not like it's doing Mikey any good while he's down in the pit but Dean is Michael's vessel so he can wield it." Gabriel said.

"You know that this means he must kill Kemuel." Castiel said softly.

"No Castiel he must kill Dagon, Kemuel died a long time ago." Gabriel said. "The brother we knew is long gone."


	12. Chameleon

Delores had put out a spread. After devouring the pot roast They had warm apple pie for desert fresh out of the oven. With the kitchen cleaned up the group sat around the table as Delores served coffee all around. On the table was the book that Garth had been looking at earlier.

"So how are we supposed to keep Dagon about learning anything about the cage when the one angel we need to stop him is locked in said cage?" Dean asked. "It's a freaking catch 22. We have to stop Dagon from opening the cage and restarting thee apocalypse but only Michael can stop him. I don't care how you look at it we're screwed."

"Let me see the book." Delores said as she sat down. "Some of the translations are very broad. A precaution we had to take after the Inquisition."

"You mean the witch hunts right?" Garth said.

"Some people called it that, It was less about protecting the world from witches that it was about greed and throwing thy neighbor to the wolves." Delores explained. "Very few witches were caught, most victims were people who had land others wanted or someone held a grudge against someone else and accusing someone of witchcraft was a very easy way to get them out of your life, permanently. It helped immensely that the church had fostered mass hysteria against witchcraft and Satan worship.  Many were prosecuted simply for the knowledge that they held."

"You said some hunters worked for the church during that time." Sam said. "They should have known the difference."

Hunters can become caught up in hysteria as easily as anyone else. Actually easier when you think about it." Delores said. "You spend your life hunting monsters and the line can become blurred. You forget that not everything different is automatically a monster. With centuries of knowing the Magi and working alongside us, those hunters working for the church were quick to point fingers at the Magi because of our knowledge and label us as witches too."

"That's cold." Garth said.

"Very." Delores agreed. She turned back to the book and read a passage out loud. "Dagon can only be killed by the grace of the Archangel Michael."

"So we need Michael after all." Sam said.

"Not necessarily. Just his grace according to this." Delores said.

"So I'll just pop my head in the cage and ask if he would mind lending it to us." Dean said sarcastically.

"An angel's grace can take many forms. They are warriors created to smite God's enemies." Delores said.

"Wait, I just remembered something Cas told me once. When he first told me about the Archangels protecting prophets. He said 'Archangels are fierce, they're absolute, they're heaven's most terrifying weapon.' He specifically called them weapons." Dean said "And I saw what Raphael could do, and Sammy and I know better than most what Gabriel can do. They are exactly like Cas said, walking talking atomic bombs."

"I don't know about Raphael, but Gabriel doesn't seem that terrifying." Sam said. "At least not compared to Lucifer."

"How many times did Gabriel kill me again Sam?" Dean asked. "And have you forgotten the whole Nutcracker game. He creates reality out of nothing."

"No he creates reality out of his grace." Sam said then frowned. "Where does Castiel carry his angel blade?"

"What?" Dean asked. "I thought we were talking about Archangels, not Cas."

"Okay at the Elysian, Kali got Gabriel's angel blade from inside his jacket right? Then we found out it was a fake. That's because we never saw his real blade until Lucifer showed up."

"So, I'm not understanding where you're going with this." Dean said.

"I think the angel blade is a part of their grace Dean. Haven't you ever watched Cas manifest it? It just appears in his hand." Sam said. "But we know that during the whole Leviathan thing a lot of Angel blades were falling into the wrong hands.  If they can manifest their blades like that maybe we can find Michael's angel blade."

* * *

"How did you manage to procure Michael's sword?" Castiel asked as he took the weapon from Gabriel careful to touch only the scabbard.

"Well when Mikey and Luci would go off on their tangents, I'd make sure they couldn't find their swords. Michael was upset right after he threw Lucifer in the cage." Gabriel said. "He came to me when it was over and asked me to hide it from him until he had calmed down. I just sort of forgot to give it back before I left."

"This sword will assist Dean in destroying Dagon?" Castiel asked.

"Yes. All of the Archangels have swords that were created with us. Father forged the swords from our grace at the moment of our creation." Gabriel said. "Like the humans sometimes say, we were literally 'born with a sword in our hands'.

Dean is still Michael's vessel for all that Zach tried to improvise with the Milligan kid, that was destined to be a bust in the end. No way Mikey could have taken Lucifer with a second choice vessel when Lucifer was in his true vessel."

"Dean told me that Zachariah had shown him the future, Lucifer had laid waste to the world." Castiel said.

"Let's see that must be the future where you turned into a complete Hedonist?" Gabriel nodded at the thought. "Michael fought Lucifer using the Milligan kid, he lost. Lucifer and his army of demons marched on Heaven and destroyed it.

Raphael and I gathered what was left of the host and abandoned Heaven. We established the garrison on another world and left this one to Lucifer and his minions. We did ask you to come but you refused to leave, you and Dean figured you were still going to save Sam from the devil.

Sam was already gone when Luci stormed the pearly gates, Lucifer had used his grace to burn every bit of Sam Winchester's soul from his body. We tried to tell you but you wouldn't listen. There was nothing left to save."

* * *

Dagon stood in a field surrounded by several of the fallen.

"We must free Lucifer." One of them said. "He will help us. He has no great love for these humans."

"Yes," another spoke up. "After you disappeared Lucifer and Michael fought because Lucifer refused to bow to these mud monkeys. Michael cast him into a cage deep in the bowels of hell."

"Take me to this cage. We will release our brother." Dagon said.

"We cannot. Only the Archangels know where it is." The first fallen said "Or how to open it."

"Then I will find an Archangel." Dagon said.

"Michael is in the cage with Lucifer. Rafael is dead." The second said.

"And Gabriel?" Dagon asked.

"No one knows, he has been missing from Heaven since Michael first imprisoned the Morningstar." Another of the fallen said.

"Gabriel is fallen?" Dagon asked with shock.

"No we believe he is dead. No trace of his grace has been noticed in Thousands of years." another answered.

"Have the seas yet boiled or the mountains crumbled? Has the Earth yet trembled from the Doomsday blast?" Dagon looked at the fallen. "Then Gabriel has yet to sound his horn, he lives."

"How can you be sure?" One of the fallen asked.

"Because our Father will not change the events that coincide with the battle of Megiddo. He placed the destruction of this world and the coming of Paradise in Gabriel's hands." Dagon said. "So there is an Archangel still walking free. Find him."

"But Michael had all of heaven searching for him for hundreds of years. No trace was found." another of the fallen spoke up.

"Of course not, Michael was never wise to Gabriel's tricks." Dagon bent down and picked up a lizard. "Behold this Chameleon. It is Gabriel's creation. See how it changes to blend into it's background? Gabriel is like the chameleon, he changes to blend into his background. The signs will be subtle." Dagon closed his hand crushing the creature. "Search for that which does not belong."


	13. Demon, angel or leviathan

Dean and Garth had taken the Impala to gather their things from the motel. Delores had offered to put the hunters up for their stay and with the Demon signs now occurring she had argued that her house was the safest place to be. Her house was warded 'seven ways to Sunday' as she put it.

Between salt lines, the iron rebar she had insisted the contractor use in the foundation and sigils that went back to the days of the first civilizations, there wasn't much that wanted to try to get in. Sam had stayed behind with Delores to do additional research although he had no idea what he was looking for.

"So you think this Kitsune is involved, What was his name again?" Delores asked.

"Jacob, actually we think it's maybe his father." Sam said.

"His father?" Delores shook her head. "Tell me Sam have you ever seen an adult male Kitsune?"

"Come to think of it, no." Sam answered and then turned to Delores. "I'm guessing there's a reason for that, right?"

"Male Kitsune are extremely rare, very few males are born. I can assure you if it's not the mother, it's the son." Delores said.

"But he's just a kid." Sam protested.

"A kid who lost his moral compass from what you have told me." Delores said. "This Amy sounded like she was raising him to live harmoniously among humans and she only killed because her son was sick. And it was human monsters she killed, not the innocent."

Dagon was an angel once. He would not have hesitated to approach the child and seduce him. Seduction is an angel's greatest talent."

"Wait are you saying he..." Sam sputtered.

"Seduction comes in many forms Sam, and not just for the purpose of sex. All temptation is seduction." Delores said. "Think about it, Lucifer tried to seduce you. And didn't Michael's side try to seduce Dean? It was all about getting you to say yes of your own free will."

The sound of an engine interrupted the conversation as Dean and Garth returned. "I'm going to go help Dean unload the car." Sam said.

"Go ahead, I need to put up a few more wards. There's three bedrooms upstairs help yourself." Delores said. "I took over the den downstairs for a bedroom years ago."

* * *

Sam was stable Gabriel noted. The fever wasn't spiking anymore and the infection wasn't getting any worse. On the other hand he wasn't getting any better either.

"Gabriel, You always were one to find and exploit loopholes." God said, this time God appeared as a Boy Scout.

"Back to being Dad I see." Gabriel said.

"Gabriel, I told you not to interfere." God sighed.

"They summoned me." Gabriel said looking as innocent as possible.

"Did they also tell you to have Castiel place Michael's sword where Dean could find it?" God smirked.

"Well Mikey isn't using it after all." Gabriel said. "You hate seeing things go to waste and it is a nice sword."

"Like I said loopholes." God said. "Don't worry I won't send you to your room for the next century." God manifested another sword in his hand. "Might as well have Castiel put this one with it. Dagon is not the only fallen crawling out from under a rock lately."

"You're giving Sam Luci's sword?" Gabriel asked.

"Yes, and they need to find their way into the Winchester's hands sooner rather than later. Once Dagon realizes who he has possessed, the Magi will no longer be safe. And I have plans for her once this is over.

For now Sam is in no danger. Go take this sword to Castiel and help him ward the hiding place then light a fire under Dean's ass."

Gabriel found Castiel in Danville Virginia where he was renting a storge unit.

"Okay Unit 114 is available Mr Singer. If you wouldn't mind filling out this paperwork oh, and do you need a lock?" The clerk was saying when the door opened.

"Hey Bro, what's taking so long." Gabriel said walking up to the counter.

"Gabriel, They require me to complete this form before I can secure the unit." Castiel answered.

"Well how many times do you have to fill it out?" Gabriel said with a smile at the clerk handing over a completed form. "You guys gave us the paperwork earlier to fill out and bring back."

"Oh? That's odd." The clerk said looking at the form. "We don't usually let the paperwork leave the office."

Gabriel gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Well the person we spoke to before didn't say anything about it not leaving, we thought it was okay to take it with us. And I guess we will need a lock too."

"Okay, then Unit 114 and a security lock, that will be $42.76." The clerk replied.

Gabriel took out a wallet and handed the clerk a $50. Castiel looked at Gabriel curiously as the clerk handed over the lock and Gabriel's change.

"Thanks a lot." Gabriel said and grabbed Castiel's arm turning him toward the door. "You've been a big help."

Once outside of the office Gabriel teleported the two to the unit. "Got the sword Castiel?"

"Yes." Cas pulled his trench coat open revealing the sword and causing Gabriel to suddenly howl with laughter. He looked at his brother wondering what Gabriel found so amusing. Castiel knew that Gabriel's sense of humor tended to run to the inappropriate. "I fail to comprehend why you are laughing." Castiel said in all seriousness.

"Of course you don't get it, Castiel. It's that coat. When you opened it I was worried that you were going to flash me or try to sell me a hot watch." Gabriel snorted.

"I have had control of my grace for millions of years but I do not understand why you would believe that I wished you to gift me with currency in exchange for a timepiece with an increased ambient temperature."

Gabriel had just snapped his fingers to produce two sword stands when Castiel finished his statement. "Now that's just sad. A hot watch means it was stolen, Castiel. We really need to work on your human slang when this is all over."

Gabriel went to the first stand and placed a sword on it, gesturing for Castiel to do the same with the sword he had. Once the swords were placed Gabriel warded the stands.

"The sword you gave me was Michael's, I assume the second sword is meant for Sam?" Castiel noted.

"The Devil's blade. That's right." Gabriel said. "Dad thinks Dagon has a following of Fallen. They could use more than one celestial sword." Gabriel snapped his fingers producing a slip of paper. He held it out to Castiel. "Make sure that this gets to Dean. I'll stay here and guard the swords until Dean comes. And make it snappy."

* * *

The hunters had claimed the upstairs bedrooms as their own and were unpacking what they needed. Dean pulled out his father's journal and was surprised when a slip of paper fell from it. Thinking it was just a loose page he was surprised to find that it was an invoice from Singer Auto Salvage. Written on it was an address and a key was taped securely to it.

He made his way over to Sam's room. "Hey Sammy. You ever seen this before?"

Sam took the paper and looked it over. "A key supposedly from Bobby and an address?" Sam opened his laptop and logged on to the internet. "It's probably a cache, that address is for a U-Store-It in Danville Virginia. The 114 has got to be the Unit number." Sam opened another tab and pulled up Mapquest. "It's only about 45 minutes away from here. It says they have 24 hour access. But you know that's not one of Bobby invoice slips right?"

"I noticed. Bobby never used black ink on his invoices, only blue." Dean said. "Someone wants us to go to this unit. The question is why?"

"There's only three things it could be Dean; demon, angel or leviathan." Sam said. "I say we pack for all three and then find out why."


	14. U-store-it

Sam pressed his back against the wall and nodded to Dean as he lifted the colt, ready to take aim at anything that might be hiding in Unit 114. Dean twisted the key in the padlock opening the hasp and nodding to Sam as he pulled the lock free and slammed the rolling door upward. Absolutely nothing happened.

The two shared a look before Sam cautiously played the flashlight around the empty seeming area. Seeing nothing threatening the two entered the unit and Dean closed the door while Sam flipped the light switch on the wall flooding the space with light from and overhead bulb.

The space was empty except for a table where two swords sat on stands. A large sheet of heavy paper was laying on the table. Sam looked closely at the paper realizing it was a note written in fancy script like you'd find in Medieval texts. There was even fancy artwork around the border.

_Consider this a consolation prize_

_Use them wisely grasshoppers._

_G._

The 'G' was huge and framed by a Halo hovering over it and a pair of wings underneath it. "Three guesses on who left this note." Sam said.

Dean reached out and found his hand automatically reaching for the sword on the left. He pulled his hand back and tried to reach for the sword on the right and somehow his hand still gravitated to the one on the left. "Dude, This is weird." Dean said. I think the one on the left must like me, It's like it's a Dean magnet or something."

Sam reached out and found he had the same problem only reversed. Instead of trying to pick the sword up, he moved to the end of the table and looked at the hilt. "Dean come look at this."

"What am I looking at?" Dean asked as he joined his brother.

"See the marking on the Pommels?" Sam pointed. "That's Enochian. Lucifer" He pointed and the sword he seemed to be drawn to "And Michael." He said pointing to the one that had drawn Dean.

"Michael and Lucifer's swords? Just sitting in a storage unit that someone wants us to think belonged to Bobby?" Dean frowned. "What the hell?"

"Gabriel." Sam said "He said he had already given us all the help he could give us. I think this is it. He just handed you Michael's grace."

* * *

"Whoa!" Garth said as Sam and Dean came in the front door carrying what looked like a couple of broadswords. "You guys planning on joining the Knights of the Roundtable or just larping?"

"These were in the storage unit along with a note we think was from Gabriel." Dean said.

"Yeah and they're marked with Enochian sigils." Sam said. "The names of a couple of Archangels no less."

"I wouldn't do that!" Delores cut in as Garth started to reach out to touch Dean's sword. "If they are what I think they are touching the sword will give you a nasty jolt."

"What do you think they are?" Dean asked.

"Celestial swords. Legends say that when God created the Archangels he created from them swords of great power. They can only be wielded by an Achangel or his avatar." Delores said. "According to the stories the Archangels first task was to drive the Leviathan into Purgatory, the swords were created for each Archangel specifically for that purpose."

"So we can kill Leviathans with these?" Sam asked studying the sword in his hand.

When Delores nodded Dean replied, "Awesome! It beats Borax."

Delores could I use your library again?" Sam asked. "I'd like to take a look at the lore about celestial swords."

"Of course Sam, you don't have to ask." Delores answered. "Like I said when I opened my home to you, it's at your disposal whenever you wish."

"I must return home with this vessel. The Winchester brothers were there earlier. Now that you have joined me, they should be easily handled." Dagon said to the few fallen that remained. The others had already left to look for Gabriel.

One of the fallen looked at Dagon with alarm. "The Winchesters? Sam and Dean Winchester?"

"Yes Sam and Dean Winchester. It is a promise that I made in order to secure a 'companion' when I first escaped that damned prison my loving brother cast me onto."

"A promise to whom?" The fallen asked.

"A young kitsune. He holds a grudge against Dean Winchester. But I have seen the trail of bodies they leave behind them." Dagon answered. "Purgatory is filled with those sent there by the Winchesters. They must both fall."

"Dagon, you have been in Purgatory. You have no idea of what they have done. They killed Azazel. Next to you and Lucifer, he was the strongest of the fallen. And when Lucifer rose Sam Winchester invited him in only to cast both Lucifer and Michael into the cage." The fallen continued.

"You sound as if you fear these hairless apes." Dagon said in a low warning voice. "They are weak , the entire race is weak. Father created them unworthy of survival.

They cannot fly, they have no talons or claws. They have no physical strength or stamina. We will deal with these Winchesters and then cleanse this world of these abominations."

The fallen was looking at Dagon cautiously. "You sound like the Morningstar. He gave the same reasons to Michael when he refused to follow father's command to bow down and love these humans.

Careful Brother. You may have been an Archangel once but your grace has fled you. Lucifer will not be happy to rise and find that you have usurped his place."

"But Lucifer is in this cage is he not. Until Gabriel is found, you will follow me. Once I learn the secrets of the Cage we will raise our brother together." Dagon said and placed an arm around the other's shoulders. "The Morningstar will be grateful for our assistance. I'm sure that he will offer us some small reward in return."

* * *

"Gabriel" Castiel said appearing right in front of the Archangel who was sitting in a chair next to Sam's bed reading the Weekly World News. "Dagon has ordered the Fallen to search for you."

"I know." Gabriel answered eyes never leaving the page where he was engrossed in an article detailing the further exploits of BatBoy.

"Dagon wishes to learn the secrets of the cage and to use those secrets to raise Lucifer." Castiel said. "If he succeeds Michael will be slaughtered."

"Michael won't be slaughtered." Gabriel said sighing and setting his paper down on the bed. "He is not tied to a vessel down there. And Michael knows more about the cage than the rest of the Archangels, including how to escape it."

"Michael knows how to escape the cage? Then why has he remained in it?" Castiel asked confused.

"Because Dad ordered him to do penance for the whole attempted Apocalypse thing. I think Dad is hoping that the two morons will get their heads out of their asses and end this feud if they are stuck with each other for a while." Gabriel said. And If not well then they can kick each other's asses for the next century without damaging anything up here."

"Are you saying that the only thing keeping Michael in the cage is our father's order?" Castiel asked.

"Look Castiel, you are young. You don't remember having Dad around all the time." Gabriel said. "I do and Dad is definitely a 'Spare the rod, spoil the child' type of parent. When he tells you to jump, you ask how high on the way up. We all had our 'trips to the woodshed', and once was more than enough for all of us except Luci and Kemuel. Those two always were rebellious."


	15. Crowding the cage

Sam had gotten so deeply engrossed in researching the swords that he didn't hear Dean enter the room. He started when a bottle of beer was thunked loudly on the table near his elbow.

"Dammit Dean!" Sam said settling back in the chair to send a completely new bitch face at his brother.

"Must be some really interesting reading there Sammy." Dean said "You didn't even hear me open the door and those hinges are screaming for a shot of WD-40."

"Yeah well it seems Michael's sword has surfaced before." Sam said taking a swig of the beer and clicking on one of the open tabs on the computer. "The first time anyone connected it to Michael, a shepherd by the name of David used it to cut off the head of the Philistines' greatest Champion."

"David and Goliath?" Dean asked skeptically. "I thought David killed Goliath with a slingshot."

"Actually he just cold cocked him with a stone using the slingshot, then he cut off his head." Sam said. "The next time the sword surfaced it was in the hands of a Roman Officer by the name of Artorius Castus."

"Excalibur is Michael's sword?" Dean asked. That earned him another bitchface.

"Dean let's leave your choices in movies out of it. The texts call it the Sword of David, not Excalibur and nobody pulled it out of a rock. Okay?" Sam asked.

"The sword ended up in Constantinople after Christianity swept through the Roman Empire." Sam said clicking open another tab. "Unfortunately it can be used for evil too." Sam pointed to the page where a depiction of an armored man held a familiar looking sword. Under the picture was the name Vlad Tepes. "Vlad Tepes had it for a while. The Romanian people see him as a hero even though he was the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Vlad did unify his people and free them from Hungarian oppression while leaving a trail of impaled corpses in his wake. It remained hidden somewhere in Europe after Vlad's death until it was rumored to have been found during World War I by a young soldier in the Bavarian Army named Adolph Hitler."

"Wait are you telling me that Nazi asshat was one of Michael's Vessels? Bullshit!" Dean said.

"No, Hitler found another sword that he claimed was the Sword of David." Sam said touching the scabbard of Lucifer's sword. "This one."

"These swords have been involved in some of the most important events in history. Considering they have the power to create  history making events," Sam said  "I see why Gabriel left that warning to use them wisely. There's no telling how we might affect history if we're not careful."

* * *

"It's for your own protection Gabriel. Now stop whining." God said.

"Come on Dad. The Cage?!" Gabriel said. "I haven't done anything to deserve that!"

"Gabriel I'm not punishing you. You will retain your powers and it's temporary. Once Dagon has been dealt with I will release you." God said.

"And I have to put up with Mikey and Luci having their epic temper tantrum the whole time I'm there. That's a punishment." Gabriel pouted.

"Gabriel I know it hurts you to see them fighting. Maybe you should let them know that it hurts you." God said. "Or find a way to put a stop to it."

"Oh right, like they will listen to me." Gabriel said. "I tried talking to Lucifer and got stuck with my own blade for my trouble. He tried to kill me, I doubt he'll care about my feelings now."

"Gabriel, my mind will not be changed on this. Dagon has one option to find out about the cage, you. And he has already betrayed you after you defended him." God said then softened his voice. "You are the one who cast him into Purgatory. Do you think he will greet you with open arms, overflowing with brotherly love? He has had eons to fume and grow resentful."

"I know he's not gonna be happy about that." Gabriel said. "But to stick me with Tweedledee and Tweedledumb isn't fair either."

"I don't need to tell you that life is not fair, Gabriel. If it were all of Earth and Heaven would be a paradise. There would be no need for Hell. Castiel would never have fallen. The Winchesters would be living happy normal lives with white picket fences, 2.5 kids and a family dog each. John and Mary would be doting on their grandchildren. All of those that have touched the lives of the Winchesters would be happy and healthy instead of dead and buried." God looked at his son. "No one is spared Gabriel. Not even me. If life was fair, I'd be a happy parent with children I could be proud of who didn't fight all the time."

God laid a palm on Gabriel's shoulder and the two entered the cage in a blinding flash that had Lucifer and Michael dropping to their knees at the presence of their father.

"I brought you some company." God said. "I trust you will behave yourselves." God said before disappearing just as suddenly.

"Gabriel! Father brought you back." Lucifer said. "I knew he would. After all we can't have an Apocalypse without little brother to fire the starting pistol."

"Gabriel, What did you do?" Michael asked giving Lucifer a glare. "Why is Father making you do penance?"

"I'm not doing penance, I'm in protective custody." Gabriel said snapping up a bag of Hershey's kisses. "Kemuel managed to get out of Purgatory. And since I'm the only one left walking around that knows anything about the cage, Dad figures keeping me stuck in it will keep him from learning anything about it."

Lucifer let out a loud guffaw. "Karma's a bitch ain't little brother. Seems to me that you got your just desserts! After all who was it that told little Sammy Winchester how to open this damned thing?"

"Lucifer, for Father's sake, shut up!" Michael yelled. As he took a seat next to Gabriel.

"Why? Because I'm enjoying the fact that little brother finally tempted the bitch once too often?" Lucifer said. "Let him be just as miserable as we are."

"Don't blame him because you earned your spot here in Club Dread. That's all on you." Michael shot back.

"Will you two put a sock in it!" Gabriel yelled in his true voice causing the entire cage to tremble. "I'm so sick of your bullshit. Lucifer, Dad gave you an order and you disobeyed! And Michael you and your little God Squad decided to stage your own little private Apocalypse because you thought you could suck up to Daddy! I left Heaven because I was sick of all the freaking bullshit! Now I'm stuck in here with you two morons for the foreseeable future and I'm not going to put up with it!"

Gabriel snapped his fingers producing two cages one on each side of the space occupied by one of his older brothers. "I'll let you out when you start acting your age!"

"That's rich coming from an Archangel who still acts like a toddler." Lucifer said.

"Gabriel, remove these bars immediately or so help me." Michael said.

"So help you what? You'll kick my ass?" Gabriel said. "Dad let me keep my powers down here so you two are going to have a cease fire whether you like it or not. This damned place is too small to put up with your massive egos."

"So you still have your powers?" Lucifer asked wheels turning in his head. "If I apologize for the whole stabbing you in the gut thing, can we get a TV? Maybe a little Cinemax After Dark?"

"I might be able to arrange a little something but...You have to swear an oath on your grace, no fighting." Gabriel said.

"Could we get Band of Brothers and maybe Platoon too?" Michael asked.

"The two of you swear the oath, and I'll make this place liveable for the duration." Gabriel said.

The two older Archangels glared at each other from across the room. After a moment or two they both swore that they would not fight at all while Gabriel was with them.

Gabriel looked around and snapped his fingers producing three very comfortable couches, a 90 inch LED TV with BluRay player and a bookcase full of BluRay movies and TV series. Lucifer and Michael each found themselves on the flanking couches while Gabriel was sprawled on the one in the center. Coffee tables appeared in front of the couches laden with snack foods, beer and wine.

Gabriel's face drew up into a frown. "Something's missing." He murmured before snapping his fingers and each of the brothers were flanked by two beautiful women. "That's better." He said biting into the Twinkie the woman on his left was holding up to his mouth.

"Gabriel!" Michael gasped scandalized by the cleavage now in his face.

"Lighten up Michael. For once in your prudish existence, live a little." Gabriel said.


	16. Q & A

Dean blinked as he looked around the dingy motel room. The last thing he remembered was snuggling down into the large comfortable bed in the cheerfully decorated bedroom he had taken at Delores house. Spinning around his eyes fell on the form of a sleeping Sam curled on the far bed and a Boy Scout sitting in a chair pulled up to the side of the bed. Suddenly it all came back, the poltergeist hunt, God showing him all of his mistakes, Gabriel snapping at him.

"So you remember, good." the Boy Scout said. The child reached out and brushed a lock of Sam's hair back, tucking it behind Sam's ear. "He's doing better. He's stable now." The boy stood up and walked over to look up at Dean. "But you have not fixed things yet."

"What do you mean I haven't fixed things?" Dean asked.

"Have you forgotten when Castiel first pulled you out of the pit?" God asked. "Only the righteous man could spark the events that would lead to the Apocalypse. And only the righteous man could stop those events."

"Sam, he stopped it. He put Lucifer back in the cage." Dean said.

"He didn't stop it Dean, only delayed the final showdown. It's time that you see what will happen if you don't stop it." God stepped forward and placed a hand on Dean's arm.

The scenery shifted. They were standing on a flat plain, mountain peaks rising majestically in the distance. They were in the middle of a makeshfit camp. People were huddled into a group on the ground looking shell shocked.

Dean slapped his hands over his ears as a horrible discordant note raced through the air. Dean stumbled as a strong wind accompanied the blast stirring up dust and sending debris swirling through the air. Dean felt a tremor in the ground at the same time as a second discordant note sounded. He realized that the mountains looked different the majestic peaks that he had clearly seen just minutes ago were gone. Plumes of smoke and ash were spewing into the darkening sky.

"What's happening?" Dean shouted.

"Gabriel." God watched Dean flinch as another blast rolled across the plains. "He is calling the armies of Michael and Lucifer to the Plains of Meggido. He will continue to sound his horn until all are assembled. And with each blast of his horn another of the Prophet John's revelations come to pass.

Mountains crumble into the ocean, seas run red with blood, earthquakes ravage the continents, comets fall from the heavens." God pointed off toward the distant mountains. "Around the globe volcanoes long dead are erupting spewing ash into the skies, blocking out the life giving rays of the sun. Only a handful of people will survive the Doomsday blasts. And those who survive will pray for death as the temperature drops and they freeze to death while ice creeps down from the poles to meet at the eqator. Those who do not freeze will starve. Animals will die from the cold, crops will not grow."

"Will anyone survive?" Dean asked.

"Some, but they will no longer be the same. Another species will rise to take your place, perhaps Reptilian or Insectoid.  Just as you rose to replace the dinosaurs." God said. "This world will be a Paradise, but not for you. Not for humanity, you will be extinct.

I have sent Gabriel away to give you a chance. I will allow Castiel to assist you by providing information but that is all. You must take the action to stop this from happening Dean, you are the Righteous Man."

Dean rolled out of bed and landed on the hardwood floor with a loud thump. He pushed himself up into a sitting position. He was still there when the door opened admitting a worried Sam and Garth.

"Dude! Did you just fall out of bed?" Sam asked reaching down and grabbing his arm pulling him up and depositing him on the bed.

"Oh shit Sammy. I just, I think I just...I had a dream." Dean said scrubbing his hand across his face.

"It must have been some dream." Garth said. "I'm guessing it wasn't a good one."

"I need to talk to Cas." Dean said. "I think it was...God."

"God?" Sam and Garth questioned at the same time.

"Castiel please if you're not too busy, if it was God, could you.." Dean started only to be interrupted by a gravelly voice.

"Hello Dean, Sam...Garth." Castiel said.

"You're here." Dean said.

"You prayed for me." Castiel said.

"Did I just dream about God?" Dean asked.

Castiel tilted his head and studied the hunter. "I do not think so. I sense my father's presence on you. You were with him."

"What he showed me was real?" Dean asked.

"I do not know what he showed you. All I know is that he has instructed me to answer your questions." Castiel said. "Perhaps the Magi should be present when I do."

* * *

Delores had immediately put on a pot of coffee. She had had been a bit awed at first having at Castiel sitting at her kitchen table with a cup of coffee steaming in front of him. This was an angel who had descended into hell and raised a human soul.

He was definitely not what she expected. He reminded her of Peter Falk in Columbo. It had to be the trench coat that he refused to remove even though the kitchen was quite warm.

"Before we start, I must tell you that I can only answer the questions that you pose." Castiel said. "You need to take advantage now because I have a task that I cannot be away from for long."

"What task?" Dean asked.

"I have been charged with watching over Sam, Gabriel can no longer do so." Castiel said.

Sam remembered Gabriel saying that he was busy keeping him alive in another place. "Gabriel said he was keeping hell out of my dreams. Why did he stop?"

"Father has consigned him to the cage." Castiel answered.

"Gabriel is in the cage? With Lucifer and Michael?" Sam asked. "Why?"

"Father considered it an appropriate precautionary measure." Castiel said.

"When I was dreaming, I saw a lot of natural disasters. God said that it was Gabriel. Was that for real?" Dean asked.

"You have seen the Doomsday blast, like the prophet John. The one known as The Revelator. When Gabriel sounds his horn all of those things will come to pass." Castiel said.

"Is that why he's in the cage?" Dean asked. "To keep him from sounding his horn?"

"Eventually that would become a risk, however it is not why Father confined him." Castiel said.

"If I might ask a question," Delores piped up. "Why did God consider confining him a precautionary measure?"

"Father wishes to keep the Fallen from locating and opening Lucifer's cage." Castiel explained. "Only the Archangels present when Michael sealed the cage the first time know the secrets of the cage." Castiel explained. "Raphael no longer exists, and Michael was in the cage. Gabriel was the only one at liberty who knows. Father determined that the safest place to hide that knowledge from the Fallen was within the cage itself."

"Cas you keep mentioning the Fallen what are they, demons?" Sam asked.

"They are not demons, they are fallen angels. Not those who were simply cut off from Heaven like I was or who tore out their grace like Anael or even ran way like Gabriel." Castiel said. "They are the ones who were cast down during the previous Angelic Wars. They have been rejected by heaven and are sworn to Lucifer."

"Lucifer's army?" Sam asked.

"A better description would be his Generals. They have been leaderless until now because of Lucifer's imprisonment. Lucifer did not have to time to mobilize and organize them when Sam released him, but they did become active and begin to seek him out. Sam cast Lucifer back into the pit before they could reach him." Castiel explained. "Dagon is different, he was once an Archangel. The Fallen are organizing under him. They are searching for the means to raise Lucifer once again. Should that happen, The Battle of Meggido will occur."

"How do we use the swords to stop Dagon?" Dean asked.

"Only Michael's sword can kill Dagon." Castiel said "But Lucifer's sword can kill the rest of the Fallen. Michael and Lucifer are the most powerful of all the host. The swords were forged from their grace. They can only be wielded by true vessels."


	17. A body on the ground

"Hey guys, I just head an interesting call go out on the scanner." Garth said as he entered the library. "A DOA a couple of towns over. They found a prostitute dead at a truck stop. State police called in the coroner."

"And dead hookers are interesting why?" Dean asked.

"Looks like it was head trauma." Garth said. "They totally skipped over the Ambulance part."

Sam's face went from confused to complete understanding. "Jacob."

"That's what I'm thinking." Garth said. "I figured I'd go check it out."

"Give me a minute to change. I'll go with you." Sam said.

"Sam the kids not going to be happy to see a hunter coming after him." Dean pointed out.

"That's why I'm going with Garth, and you're staying here doing research." Sam said. "I've got a better shot at getting him to listen than either one of you. He knows that I was his mom's friend."

"He's got a good point there, Dean." Garth said. "If the kid is going to listen to anyone, it's Sam."

"I guess you're right. Doesn't mean I have to like it." Dean said.

Sam stood up and headed for the door.

"Hey Sammy. You might want to take that magic sword with you." Dean said. "If there's Fallen around, you're gonna need it."

* * *

Sam and Garth arrived at the truck stop just in time to catch attendants preparing to load the body into a waiting ambulance for transport to the morgue. Sam held up his FBI badge. "Hold up a second. I need to take a look at the body."

The morgue attendants barely gave a glance to the two. "Go ahead. It's not like she'll give a damn." One of the attendants said pulling out a pack of Marlboros and a lighter. "Take your time." The man lit a cigarette and took a long drag. "Pretty much everybody else in the damn county ogled her already."

"Is there some reason for all of the interest?" Garth asked as Sam unzipped the body bag and turned the woman's head revealing a nasty wound behind her left ear.

"Yeah. We ain't never seen nothing like that." The attendant blew out a stream of smoke. "Coroner said it looks like something scooped out part of her brain. So if you don't mind me asking, What's the FBI's angle in this anyway?"

"We heard there was a body on the ground with head trauma over this way. We had a group of cases a few years back with similar wounds. We caught the guy, we'd just like to rule out the possibility of a copycat." Garth said.

"Yeah different wounds." Sam said. "We'll just mark it down as a local case. Thanks."

Sam turned and began walking back toward the car. Garth followed him back. Sam slid behind the wheel of the Impala and Garth slid into the passenger seat.

"Well? Kitsune or not?" Garth asked.

"I'm pretty sure the pineal gland is missing. It's identical to the wounds Amy made in her victims." Sam said. "That means that Jacob is pretty close."

"You sure it's the kid?" Garth asked.

"Not 100% but 99%." Sam said as he started the car. "We need to find him. And before one of the Fallen show up."

"You're pretty sure that the Fallen are involved?" Garth asked.

"I think they're cleaning up behind him. Jacob is killing them and the fallen are smashing the heads and planting the bodies at the farmhouse." Sam said. "I'm thinking that the traffic at the truck stop kept them from getting to the body before it was discovered."

"Okay so let's say they Fallen are involved. What does this kid have to do with it. Why use him?" Garth asked. "It's not like they need him or anything. They can do what they want pretty much without him."

"Yeah, they can." Sam admitted. "I'm pretty well stumped too. It doesn't make sense to me either, but there has to be a reason."

* * *

Dean was in the library and not happy. He actually hated doing research unless he absolutely had to. Research was Sammy's forte. However since his dream, vision, walk with God; whatever you want to call it had happened Dean had been getting the feeling that he was right at the center of everything that was going on. He had a feeling that he knew more than he actually knew. That somewhere buried in his brain was the answer to everything that was going on.

He sighed and closed out the open windows before standing up and making his way upstairs. He found Delores in the kitchen sitting at the table peeling carrots. He made his way over to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup before he turned around to face the older woman.

"Delores, Magi are supposed to have all this knowledge right?" Dean asked.

"We have a good amount, yes." She looked up at him "Why?"

"This is going to sound crazy can someone know something but not know that they know it?" Dean asked.

"Of course. We all know much more than we are aware that we know." Delores said. "We know everything that we have experienced down to the tiniest details, we just push 90% of our experience into the back of our mind. We don't see it as important so we forget about it.

It's kind of like a computer. Everything you have ever done with that computer is on the hard drive, but you only keep files that you think are important. You delete everything else but it is still there for those who know how to access the information from the hard drive."

She gestured toward a chair. "Talk to me. Do you have the feeling that there's something you should know?"

"It's like there's something right there but I can't quite reach it." Dean said. "And if I could, then I could figure all of this out. I'd know what to do."

She sat down the vegetables she had been peeling. "Gabriel mentioned another place and time. Castiel said that he felt God's presence on you. Maybe in this other place and time you understand what is happening.

From what the angels have said you are the focus of what is happening. Maybe we should try to record what you know. That could stimulate your memories, help you remember what it is you think you should know."

Delores stood up and pulled open a drawer pulling out a legal pad and a pen. Walking back to the table she sat it in front of him. "Write down everything you remember about your vision. It seems that God showed you the future. Castiel said that those things will eventually come to pass so it's a starting point."

"What good is that going to do? I need to know how to stop what I saw." Dean said.

"As I said, it's a starting point. If you know what is to come then you may be able to work your way back to see how things got to that point." Delores said. "Now start writing."

* * *

"So tell me something Gabriel, How in the hell did Dagon manage to get out of Purgatory." Michael asked as the ending credits of Die Hard started to roll across the screen.

"Oh that's right, you two aren't exactly up on current events." Gabriel said. "Well I missed out on the whole Cage dive thing and came back to myself just in time for Dad to tell me to that Leviathans were scattered all over the globe. Seems Cassie and Raphy had the ultimate race for stupidity. Open purgatory to gain access to all those souls. Cassie won, Raphy lost and ended up getting reduced to atomic particles as a consolation prize."

"Raphael is dead?" Lucifer asked. "Why?"

"Well Raphael only wanted to reopen the cage and proceed with the whole Apocalypse thing. Meanwhile Castiel was wandering around heaven preaching the joys of free will. It was pretty much a given that they would bump heads." Gabriel said. "Anyhow Castiel opened Pugatory and let out the Leviathans. Eventually he realized that he couldn't contain what he had swallowed and put it all back. Only everything didn't go back."

"The Leviathans, and Dagon." Michael said. "So that's why Father stuck you in here. There's no one else that could tell him about the cage."

"And Dad knows that Dagon wants to open the cage and raise Luci." Gabriel added. "And with Lilith dead only Dad or an Archangel other than Lucifer can open the cage. And Dad's just not ready to unleash you on the world yet Luci, sorry."


	18. Listen and you will hear

Garth made his way back to the car. The hunters had stopped at a little rural gas station and changed into clothing more appropriate for trudging through the surrounding woods. Garth slid into the passenger seat listening in on Sam's side of the phone conversation.

"I'm pretty sure it was him. The wound was from a Kitsune."

"No. We'll be a bit longer. We're going to poke around some, see if we can't find him."

"I don't know Dean, try to talk to him maybe we can get him out of this somehow."

"Dean he's been through enough. I'm not going to kill a kid just because."

"Yeah we'll be careful." Sam flipped his phone closed and tossed it on the dash.

"So I guess Dean is thinking we should take him out?" Garth said quietly.

"I'm not looking for Jacob just to kill him." Sam said. "The kid has killed yeah, but what choice does he have? And the kills are sloppy. His back is against the wall Garth, he's doing what he has to just to survive."

"And what if he wants to kill you Sam?" Garth replied. "Look I know you said the kid's mom was a friend. But that was the kid's mom. For all you know he may blame you for her being dead as much as he does Dean. Or he could see you as a way to get to Dean."

"I met the kid, talked to him. He was a good kid Garth until he lost his mom. I'm not going to just write him off without trying okay?"

"Whoa, chill." Garth said holding up a hand. "I'm not saying write the kid off. I'm just saying don't be shocked if he's not the same kid you knew before. It's been a while and we know he's had one of the fallen hanging out with him. This kid may have changed a lot since the last time you saw him."

* * *

Jacob Pond was kneeling on the bed ear pressed against the wall listening to the conversation in the other room where the Demon was speaking to another man who had called him Dagon.

_"The human authorities found the body Dagon."_

_"No matter, the humans have no idea what they are looking at."_

_"And what about hunters? Sam Winchester showed up. He will know."_

_"So? We planned on the Winchesters finding us eventually. The boy simply caused us to move those plans forward."_

_"Does the boy know that you plan on killing both Winchesters? He would gladly help you kill Dean Winchester. But I don't think he will be so helpful where Sam Winchester is concerned. He has said that Sam was a friend to his mother."_

_"It will be easy enough for Sam to die in the confusion. A simple accident, the boy will accept this."_

_"You are sure about that, Dagon? I am not."_

_"I will handle the boy, as I have been all along. Focus on finding my treacherous brother Gabriel."_

Jacob thought about what he had heard. Dean Winchester could die a horrible death and Jacob would dance on his grave. But Mom had told him a lot about Sam before he had met the hunter. Sam was nothing like what mom had said hunters were like. She called him the exception to the rule. Sam was nice, even knowing what Jacob and his mom were the hunter had been friendly.

Mom wouldn't want Jacob to let a demon kill her friend. Jacob went into the bathroom and slid open the window over the toilet. Jacob could at least try to warn Sam about Dagon.

* * *

Other than a few check in calls to Sam, Dean had been sitting for hours at the table and looking at what he had written down on the paper and trying to figure out what he may have done to bring about the end of the world. Delores would occasionally pop into the kitchen to encourage him to write or concentrate on what he had written. So far all he knew was that the world was ending and Sam was sick, but doing better.

Why was Sam sick? And what did it have to do with the end of the world? Sam was doing better, God had said. A thought Dean didn't want to think about popped into his head. He realized that Sam wasn't in that refugee camp. Dean had the feeling that Sam had never been in that camp, which made no sense unless Sam was dead. There's no way they would have separated with the world coming to an end. They had learned that lesson with the Apocalypse.

"Cas, if you can still answer my questions I have one." Dean said.

"Yes, if you have a question, I will answer it." Castiel said appearing at Dean's side.

"You said what I saw in the dream would come to pass, right?" Dean asked.

"If you do not figure out how to fix it, yes." Castiel replied.

"Sam, I don't remember Sam being in that refuge camp. Was he...is he dead in that other place?" Dean asked.

"Samuel's death is an event that leads up to the end of the world, yes." Castiel said.

"How...how did he die?" Dean asked.

"I cannot answer that question Dean. That is something you must determine for yourself." Castiel replied.

"If I figure it out will it keep all of this from happening. Will it keep Sam from dying?" Dean questioned.

"If you can figure it out, yes. You have already changed some events Dean but there are others that you must change." Castiel said enigmatically before disappearing in a flutter of feathers.

Dean looked down at the paper and wrote down two words. Sam died.

"Dammit Sammy! How did you die? Was it something you did or was it my fault?"

* * *

"So the one thing I don't understand is why Dagon wants to let me out, not that I'm complaining about it though." Lucifer said. "I mean he wasn't exactly my favorite brother you know."

"Yeah Lucifer you just couldn't stand not being the center of everyone's attention. And Kemuel was the only one that could take Gabriel's attention from you." Michael said.

"We were close, Dad created us at the same time remember, practically twins." Gabriel said. "But you didn't have any reason to be jealous of him, Luci."

"I don't recall you begging Father to forgive me." Lucifer said.

"Because he had already used his one pass on Kemuel." Michael butted in.

"I wish I hadn't. But what was done, was done." Gabriel said.

"Are you saying you would have gone to father on my behalf? Begged him to forgo locking me in this cage? Tell me another one Gabriel." Lucifer said.

"I might have asked him for mercy, not to leave you down here this long. But I saw the mistake I made with Kemuel. Father knows the two of you never let me forget it." Gabriel said.

"So, since you were so close to the idiot; why does he want to let me out? I never could stand those damned leviathans. I won't help him release them."

"Maybe he figures the two of you have something in common. Both tossed out of heaven by the brother you were closest to." Michael said.

"You were ordered to toss Lucifer out Michael, tossing Kemuel out was my decision." Gabriel said.

"It's not like you had any other choice Gabriel, not when he was trying to raise the Leviathan." Lucifer said. "If I had found him doing that, I would have kicked him in the ass myself and yelled good riddance while he fell. Those damned greedy bastards will destroy everything in their path.

I may not like the humans, but there are things in the world that I do like. And the humans are doing a bang up job destroying those things all on their own."

"The world is different." Michael agreed. "The paradise our father created slowly dying because of the humans infesting it. They are like a parasitic infection."

Lucifer sat up and poured himself another glass of champagne. "You know what I don't get? Why you changed Gabriel. You used to think they needed to be eradicated as much as we did. I mean you used to be full of glee when we would get the order to smite a few mud monkeys. What changed for you to suddenly become their biggest defender?"

"I guess it's because I walked among them." Gabriel said. "I got to see them living day to day instead of the few glimpses we would get from heaven. I see the potential in them. They're capable of love, nobility, self sacrifice; and they demonstrate it all the time. All the things that we are supposed to be and they are way better at it than we are."


	19. Train ride

Dean blinked as he looked down at the page. He hadn't even realized that he had been writing.

_Sam got injured because I wouldn't listen._

It wasn't much, but it was still more than he should know because Sam wasn't injured, at least not here. So it must be something that happened in the other place. The only thing that he and Sam might have disagreed on was a hunt. The question was what hunt.

Delores wandered into the kitchen and caught sight of Dean. "Looks like you've made some progress."

"I think I just made more questions for myself." Dean answered.

"That's progress." Delores said grabbing Dean's coffee cup and refilling it while pouring a cup for herself. She sat Dean's cup in front of him and then took a seat. "So would you like a sounding board? Perhaps if we mull over this together we may figure it out?"

"I know that in that other place, Sam is hurt. But Cas said he's doing better. Gabriel had said that he was keeping Sam alive when we summoned him."

"I would think that knowing your brother is doing better would be good news to you." Delores said taking a sip of her coffee.

"It is but I don't think he's out of the woods yet. I called Cas again and Sam never made it to that refugee camp I saw." Dean scrubbed his hand across his face. "Cas told me that Sam's death is one of the events that leads up to the end of the world. I think I have to keep him from getting hurt in the first place."

* * *

"I figured this place is where you'd stash a kid you didn't want found." Sam said looking around the motel.

"Yeah, it's the kind of place where they don't ask questions." Garth agreed. "It's also the last motel in this one horse town."

"I know. The only other thing I can think of is that Dagon managed to get a house. There's no way we can search every house in town." Sam sighed.

"Maybe the kid isn't here." Garth said. "Maybe Dagon just brought him here to feed."

"Dagon has cleaned up behind him every other time but this scene looked like it was supposed to. The body wasn't mutilated and there was plenty of blood so she was killed where she was found. It doesn't make sense that Dagon wouldn't have cleaned up this scene too."

Sam reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He hit speed dial and called Dean. When the call went to voicemail, Sam left a message."Dean we've looked all over the place. No signs of Jacob anywhere. We're heading back."

Sam and Garth got in the car never realizing that the trunk was not completely closed. Curled up on the false bottom of the trunk of the Impala was a young Kitsune. He had seen Sam but didn't recognize the man with him. It wasn't Dean but it was probably another hunter and Jacob didn't trust hunters.

Jacob would wait until he could get Sam alone and then tell him about the Demon.

* * *

Dean had finally taken Delores advise to 'sleep on it' and take a break from the thinking. He stretched out on the bed, closed his eyes and drifted off only to find himself in a fancy railroad car like they had in the 1800's. He was seated in a comfortable chair with a tumbler of whiskey in his hand. Seated across from in another chair dressed like a wild west gambler was...Gabriel.

"Hey bucko." Gabriel raised his own glass in a toast. "Looks like you managed to catch the right train for once."

"Gabriel, what?" Dean started. "I thought you were locked in the cage with Michael and Lucifer?"

"Oh I am. And for the moment they are actually getting along for the first time in eons." Gabriel said taking a sip of the amber liquid.

"Well if you're there how can you be...here?" Dean asked.

"Hello, Archangel. Besides I am the messenger. Do you think that I took the time to personally go to everyone I ever delivered a message to? I'd still have giving Moses those commandments you guys treat like suggestions on my to do list if that was the case." Gabriel said. "You can call this astral projection if you really need to define it. My vessel and my form are locked in the cage with Abbott and Costello, but my thoughts are here, in your dream."

"Okay so why are you here in my dream?" Dean asked.

"Just checking in to see how things are going." Gabriel said. When Dean gave him a skeptical look Gabriel snorted. "Okay I came to make sure you don't screw things up when you're this close to getting it right. Castiel is doing what he can but he's too afraid of pissing off Dad to tell you what you need to know."

"And you aren't?" Dean snarked.

"Let's just say that Castiel like Michael always tries to give Dad what he thinks Dad wants." Gabriel said. "Luci and I tend to try to give Dad what he needs. Nice sword by the way." Gabriel pointed at Michael's sword which was now laying across Dean's lap.

"Yeah, thanks, found it in a storage unit. I guess you wouldn't know anything about that." Dean said.

"Who do you think came up with the idea of giving you Michael's sword in the first place. Dad wasn't too happy at first, then he realized that you needed it, just like Sam needed Luci's."

"Why all the help? You normally screw around with me and Sammy." Dean asked.

"Look Dean, I wasn't kidding when I said I liked you. You and Sammy are like Jokers in the cosmic deck of playing cards. Toss the two of you into something and it's pure chaos." Gabriel said. "Besides right now down in the cage, it's a general consensus. Do you know how long it's been since we've all agreed on something? And we all agree that Dagon has to die. Unless you want the Leviathan released again."

Gabriel suddenly got a far away look on his face. "Time to go. Daddy's coming to check on us." Gabriel sat down his drink and stood up. "Oh one more thing, when Sam gets back check the trunk. You'll find a couple of gifts and a surprise. Just try not to have a typical Dean Winchester reaction for once."

Dean sat up in the bed as he heard the rumble of the Impala's engine approaching. He hurried downstairs and out the front door waiting for Sam to cut the engine.

"Keys." Dean held out his hand as Sam and Garth got out of the car. Hurrying around to the trunk he realized that it wasn't completely closed. He looked at Sam and motioned to the trunk. Realizing what Dean wanted he pulled out his gun aiming it at the back of the vehicle. Dean pulled out his gun and reached out with his left hand to nudge it open.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean yelled as Jacob blinked at the bright sunlight.

* * *

Dagon looked at the open window. The boy was gone. The fact that he had gone out the bathroom window let Dagon know that Jacob was not just going out to get out of the room, but trying to escape for some reason. He must have somehow overheard Dagon talking to the other fallen.

There were only two possibilities. The kid was simply trying to get away from Dagon or, and this was the one that was more probable, the kid was going to try to warn the Winchesters. Or rather try to warn Sam Winchester.

Dagon had accepted that the kid had caused a change in his plans forcing Dagon to deal with the Winchesters sooner than he wanted to. But this meant that he had to deal with them now. Dagon had planned to find Gabriel first, open the cage and let Lucifer out. Dagon was persuasive, he was sure that he could get Lucifer to agreed to help him, after all from what he had learned so far Lucifer had no great love of these humans.

If Dagon wanted to succeed he needed Lucifer's help. To get Lucifer's help he needed Gabriel. He turned to the fallen standing quietly behind him. "What progress on finding my brother?"

"Gabriel is crafty. Heaven with all the angels couldn't find him in all these centuries. There are only a handful of us in comparison. We are searching." The fallen answered.

"Take half of those searching for Gabriel and have them search for the boy. We must find him before he speaks to the Winchesters."


	20. Four swords

Everyone blinked for a moment stunned at seeing the Kitsune pop out of the trunk. Sam was the first to react throwing himself in front of Jacob and glaring at Dean until his brother had lowered the gun.

"Sam dammit!" Dean shouted. "I'm not going to shoot the kid okay?"

Garth looked at the wide eyed Kitsune who was actually hiding behind the younger Winchester.

"Am I supposed to automatically assume you're not going to shoot him Dean?" Sam asked.

"Okay I deserved that one but I'm not going to shoot him." Dean said.

"Hi Jacob." Sam said turning toward the boy. "Want to tell me why you are hiding in the trunk?"

Jacob glanced at Dean and Garth shooting them looks of distrust. "I needed to talk to you. But I don't know him." He indicated Garth. "And I don't trust him." Jacob ended by nodding at Dean.

"Fair enough kid, you don't have a reason to trust me." Dean said "But how about we call a truce. You don't hurt anyone here and I won't pull the trigger."

"Dean you're not helping." Sam said. "I've been looking for you, Jacob. These people that died around here."

"You're going to kill me right? To stop the monster from killing." Jacob said looking at the two hunters still crowding around him and Sam.

"Actually I wanted to talk to you. I think someone else is behind all of this." Sam said. "The one who is cleaning up behind you?"

"Dagon. I thought he was just a demon but one of the others came to tell him about the body. He called him Dagon." Jacob said. "I was hoping you wouldn't show up, it would just be him." Jacob said glaring at Dean. "He killed Mom. He deserves whatever Dagon does to him. But not you Sam."

"What is Dagon planning to do?" Sam asked.

"He said he was going to kill Dean, but I heard him yesterday," Jacob said. "He's planning to kill both of you. He was going to tell me that killing you was an accident. But he doesn't want to do it until he finds someone named Gabriel. I think it's his brother."

"Hey kid hop out of there." Dean said Jacobs words reminding him of the dream he had just had. Once Jacob had climbed out of the trunk he lifted the false bottom.

"When did you guys put the swords in the trunk?" Garth asked.

"We didn't Sam answered reaching into the back seat and pulling out Lucifer's sword.

"Gabriel you sneaky son of a bitch." Dean breathed.

* * *

"So did you talk to him?" Michael asked once their father had verified that all three of his sons were where they belonged.

"Yep. He knows we're all on the same page about Dagon." Gabriel said munching on a Snicker's bar. "Hopefully it doesn't go in one ear and out the other. I gave them a couple of extra swords too."

"You're trusting someone with your sword?" Lucifer snarked. "Guess the secret is out now. Hell is really a frozen wasteland."

"I'm trusting the Magi with my sword. I figure the goofy one can take Raphael's." Gabriel said. "Raphael isn't going to be needing it anymore thanks to Castiel."

"You know the old man is going to have a conniption." Lucifer said. "All the celestial swords on Earth in the hands of humans."

"Three humans and an abomination you mean. There's nothing human about someone who sucks down demon blood like Dracula." Michael said.

"Yeah well, means to an end." Lucifer smirked. "It led to him letting me out of the cage you stuck me in."

"And led to him sticking you right back in it." Gabriel said. "And Mikey in case you forgot, you had as much of a hand in manipulating Sam as Luci did. So I wouldn't go calling someone an abomination when the two of you started in on him almost before he managed to make his way out of his mother's womb."

Michael turned a glare on the younger Archangel. "You knew all about it Gabriel, you didn't exactly do anything to stop it."

"You're right I did know all about it. And I didn't try to stop it. I let the kid get tainted with the demon blood." Gabriel said. "Doesn't mean I'm proud of that fact or that I blame the kid for what we did to him. It doesn't mean that I didn't try to nudge the kid in a different direction than the one you two wanted him to take."

"Oh you mean your little Broward County fiasco?" Lucifer laughed. "You did more to put the kid on the path we wanted him on than the two of us did with that screw up!"

"Poor little Gabriel trying to hide in the shadows and hope nobody figured out who he was. Maybe if you had just owned up to who you were in the beginning you could have stopped it." Michael said. "After all Sam believed until we showed ourselves."

"That's typical Gabriel, always covering his own ass." Lucifer said.

"True but in his defense the very second he stopped covering his own and tried to cover someone else' it got him a blade to the heart courtesy of big brother Lucifer." Michael said.

"He was going to stab me in the back! And furthermore he said he would shiv your ass too!" Lucifer yelled back.

Gabriel snapped his fingers and the two arguing Archangels found themselves back in their separate cages. "We've been getting along and playing nice for a while. Time out until we can get along and play nice again."

* * *

"Dammit Cas!" Dean said startled as the angel appeared next to him.

"Hello Dean." Castiel said peering at the swords in the trunk of the Impala. "Gabriel places a lot of faith in this group. Where is the Magi?"

"I'm right here." Delores said as she joined them.

Castiel picked up one of the swords and held it out to her. "Gabriel intends you to have his sword."

"Wait that's Gabriel's sword?" Sam asked. "So the other one is Raphael's?"

"Yes, Father agreed to allow you and Dean to have Michael and Lucifer's swords." Castiel said. "Gabriel tests the limits of our father's patience however. He has placed all four swords in human hands and also spoken to you Dean."

"When did you speak to Gabriel?" Sam asked.

"Right before you got back. He was in my dream." Dean said. "He told me that there was a unanimous decision among the Archangels that Dagon had to die, or the Leviathan would be released again."

"He has given you the means to destroy Dagon, and the fallen who follow him." Castiel explained. "As I have said before, the Fallen are rejected by Heaven. Their grace is corrupted. It frees them of the rules that constrain us."

"What rules?" Dean asked.

"They do not need permission to take a vessel." Castiel replied.

"Dagon possesses people. There's been four I know of since I met him." Jacob said quietly. "He takes them and after a while they start getting these sores and then when they fall apart, he gets a new person."

"Sounds like Lucifer. When he was in Nick. He said Nick couldn't contain him." Sam said.

"It is not the same Sam. Nick was not Lucifer's perfect vessel but he was a vessel. Lucifer was simply too powerful for him to contain. Lucifer has also retained his grace. He is bound by the rules of heaven, Dagon is no longer bound by those rules. Dagon does not ask permission nor does he take designated 'vessels'. Those he has chosen are unsuitable."

"And these fallen can take anybody as a vessel?" Dean asked.

"Yes in much the same way that a Demon can take anyone." Castiel said. "It is why I have come for Jacob Pond. He is in danger of being taken. I will take him away from here. I have located a group that would welcome him."

"Other Kitsune?" Sam asked.

"Yes, there is a group living in Australia. They would welcome him, and he will be much safer there."


	21. Curdle the cream

Sam looked at the spot where Castiel and Jacob had just been standing.

"The more I hear about this Dagon the the more I want to gank his ass." Dean said. "The son of a bitch almost makes me wish I was dealing with Zachariah and Uriel instead."

"Think the kid'll be okay?" Garth asked.

"If Cas says he's found a place for him then yeah. I think he's got a shot at it." Dean answered.

"So want to talk about your little heart to heart with Gabriel?" Sam asked. "I find it hard to believe you didn't try to fry him in holy oil for daring to walk in your dreamscape."

"He wanted to warn me about what was in the trunk so I didn't have a 'typical Dean Winchester reaction'." Dean said. "And to let me know that as unbelievable as it seems, the three feathered asshats down in the cage can actually agree on something. They all want us to gank Dagon."

"What, Michael, Lucifer and Gabriel all want him dead?!" Sam said. "That's unbelievable!"

"When the Devil wants someone dead instead of damned, that's saying something alright." Garth said. "Namely that the one he wants dead is serious bad news."

"Lucifer doesn't hate the world Garth, he hates humanity." Sam said. "There's a lot about this world he actually likes. He just wants it to be the paradise it was before we came along and ruined it."

"What?" Garth asked.

"When I said yes, before I jumped in the cage, he spent a lot of time going to different places like the rainforest and a lot of different wetlands and he grieved over how they had been destroyed by people. Pollution, clearing the land. It made him mad." Sam explained. "The world was created to be self sustaining but we changed it through technology."

So he hates us for that?" Dean asked.

"Lucifer thinks we cheat by using technology. He thinks we've ruined the world." Sam sighed. "The thing is in the beginning, all of the Archangels thought we should have been eradicated, including Gabriel. So God ordered the angels to bow down and serve us. While everyone else did it, reluctantly I have to add, Lucifer flat out refused. He started trying to exterminate us. That's when God ordered Michael to toss him in the cage."

"So Michael agreed with Lucifer and then locked him up because Daddy said so? No wonder Gabriel said they betrayed each other." Dean whistled.

"Yeah and Lucifer hates the Leviathan for the same reason." Sam finished. "They were destroying his father's creation. During the war, when they were battling the Leviathan, Lucifer burned with a holy fire even brighter than Michael's. It's why they started calling him Morningstar."

"So basically you're saying Lucifer hates us, he just hates the Leviathan more." Dean said then added a sarcastic "Awesome."

* * *

Dagon stood at the edge of the woods surrounding the dwelling of the vessel he was wearing. There were very powerful and ancient wards set around the property. And the Winchesters were standing there with another man speaking to his vessel's mate. Jacob was nowhere to be found even though his trail had led to this place.

Obviously there was more going on here than met the eye. From what he had picked up from that stupid little Seraph before he left his body, the Winchesters did not have this level of knowledge. And the old man who might have had it was now dead.

Not to mention these wards had been placed deliberately for him. What surprised him the most was that they had been set using the name Kemuel in addition to the name Dagon. A name that should never have been known to these humans. That meant that someone was helping them, that someone could only be Gabriel.

Dagon turned to the Fallen standing next to him. "The boy is somehow beyond our reach. And this property is warded in a way that only Archangels would have the knowledge to cast. We cannot enter this property as we are but humans can."

"What would you have of us?"

"Go to the town, let us whisper in the ears of the devout. Suggestions of Devil worship in this place. Then let them see the signs of such. Bring forth a child this night and let that child's blood lead them back to this place."

* * *

"Castiel, why have you called me?" The old man in Bermuda shorts, a bright tropical print shirt, brown socks and sandals asked.

"Father it is Sam. His condition deteriorates again." Castiel explained. "His fever has returned."

God wandered over to the bed and placed his palm on Sam's forehead easing the heat he felt there. "Just as Dean has changed the things he has done, I must assume that Dagon has also changed his choices in this timeline."

The flutter of feathers announced the arrival of another angel. God looked up at a confused Balthazar who was feeling around his chest for a wound that was not there.

"What? How? The last thing I remember..." Balthazar kind of mumbled trying to sort out his thoughts.

"The last thing you remember is a moment that I greatly regret." Castiel said facing the angel he had stabbed in the back.

Balthazar blinked at Castiel before his face fell. "You stabbed me in the back!"

"As I said I greatly regret my actions. You were in your own way trying to help me." Castiel said.

"I was trying to keep you from making the most asinine mistake in heavenly history since Lucifer told Dad to go stuff it you twat!" Balthazar snarled.

"Boys," God said.

"Father? Father you have returned!" Balthazar said his face radiating pure joy. Then turned red at his comment about Lucifer telling him to stuff it.

"I never left Balthazar, I simply could not interfere with humanity's free will." God said. "But I have a task for you. Castiel has atoned for his mistakes. But he is needed elsewhere."

God beckoned the blonde angel over to the bed.

"Sam Winchester?" Balthazar said. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's in this state because of a series of bad decisions made all the way around starting with Mary Winchester." God said "And it pains me to say that angelic and demonic manipulation are at the root of all those bad decisions. Now we must fix it. I need you to stay with Sam and monitor his condition. Keep him stable."

"Balthazar, when this is over I would like to speak with you, to apologize for what I have done." Castiel said.

"I know you were trying to prevent Raphael from destroying everything. It would have made everything the Winchesters had gone through of no importance. I can't say that having you stick a knife in my back wasn't a betrayal of the highest order, but I can understand it." Balthazar sighed. "You are a complete idiot, let's just leave it at that."

* * *

Dagon held the child. "He'll do. Make sure that you use recognizable sigils. I think that the inverted Pentacle will do well. The humans will automatically consider it as demonic."

Dagon handed the toddler back to the Fallen who had brought it to him. Don't forget that there must be evil doings to accompany the death. There are farmers around here. Crops should fail, oh and let's not forget the curdled cream."

"Few humans use cream in these days." The fallen told him. "They buy milk from stores. It's kept refrigerated. It does not curdle easily."

"Well, I would say that would make the curdling of their refrigerated milk a more powerful sign. I need the people of this town under my influence. Once they are, I will lead them to the 'source' of their troubles." Dagon said. "Now leave me."


	22. Patience

"Father decided that direct intervention may be necessary." Castiel said as he popped into the kitchen behind Dean's chair.

"Jesus Cas!" Dean swore. "Will you stop doing that before you give me a heart attack!"

"My apologies Dean but as I said, Father has decided on direct intervention." Castiel repeated. "Dagon has obviously changed decisions that he has made in this timeline causing a...setback."

"Setback? What kind of setback?" Dean asked. "I'm still trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do here and you're telling me there's a setback?"

"Oh my god no." Delores suddenly gasped turning up the volume on the television.

A news reporter was standing in front of a yellow ribbon bearing the words 'Police Line Do Not Cross'. The reporter was speaking to Chief Barnes who was giving a statement about the discovery of the body of a three year old that had apparently been killed as part of a satanic ritual.

"Cas, is this the setback you're talking about?" Sam asked.

"It is evidence of the different choices that Dagon is making." Castiel said. "The child is the first victim, but there will be more victims if he is not stopped."

"There was no ritual performed." Delores said. "The child was killed for no supernatural reason. The wards would have reacted to the power of a human sacrifice."

"I do not believe that the death was meant to harness supernatural energy but to create the impression that a Satanic cult is operating in the area." Castiel said.

"Wouldn't that cause a lot of unwanted attention?" Garth asked.

"Not if Dagon plans for the attention to fall somewhere else." Sam said. "Delores has a lot of sigils around the property. Most of them people wouldn't notice but a pentagram is pretty commonly associated with Devil worship, even if it's not really a satanic symbol until it's turned upside down."

"I also have a lot of runes around." Delores said. "The uneducated would probably think that they are also Satanic."

"Well one thing's for sure. We need to figure out how to stop him before he does anymore fake sacrifices." Dean said.

* * *

"Gabriel stop. Think about what you're planning to do. Father had good reason for putting you in here!" Michael sat on the couch next to Gabriel his side pressed against his brother so they could communicate grace to grace without Lucifer overhearing the conversation.

"Dad dammit Michael! He's killing babies!" Gabriel said. "Innocents. You can't be okay with that!"

 _"I'm not. But you go out there and we'll have two very big problems. Dagon will be able to get his hands on you and no matter how much you want to believe that he's the brother we all loved, he's not"_ Michael said. _"And two, Lucifer there won't need anyone to release him because he will know how to get out on his own. Do you think I couldn't have gotten out of here the moment Sam Winchester pulled me in? Father let it happen and until Father decides to release me I stay."_

"You know," Lucifer said conversationally "It's really rude to talk about someone behind their back."

"We're not talking about you." Michael bent the truth. "I'm trying to talk our immature little brother out of offering himself up on a platter to Dagon."

Lucifer sprawled out on the couch he was occupying. "It's because he killed that little mud monkey right? Come on little brother, I would think that you of all people should be wise to how he always played you." Lucifer sipped from the bottle of beer he opened. "Dagon's been out of the cage long enough to know to use the Kitsune against the Winchesters, he's been out long enough to find out that you have a soft spot for the humans."

"It was a child Lucifer, a small innocent child." Gabriel said.

"Like I said, you have a soft spot. It's why Dad made you the messenger." Lucifer said. "He pegged you for the weak link a long time ago. He knew you weren't strong enough to lead anybody."

"Lucifer lay off." Michael ordered.

"Why I'm just doing what I normally do, tell the truth." Lucifer said. "Kemuel would be a long dead memory if it wasn't for Gabriel's weakness. He's the reason the old man stayed your hand right before you were about to deliver the coup d' grace on Kemuel."

"Don't listen to him, Gabriel. You're not weak. You're stronger than the rest of us. It's why Father trusted you with the horn." Michael said. "It takes a lot more strength to stay your hand than just destroy what you don't like. If anyone in this cage is weak, it's Lucifer." Michael turned toward his other brother. "How long have you been trying to destroy humanity now? Maybe I should add stupid in there too since most beings would have had a clue by now."

Lucifer snorted and flipped Michael the bird. "Doesn't change the fact that the mud monkeys are Gabriel's weak spot and Dagon knows it. Dagon being Dagon will use it. You're just going to have to accept that there's going to be collateral damage little brother. The Winchesters know what we all want right? You put a lot of faith in those two to stop the Apocalypse and they did it, at least for the moment. So have a little faith in your pet humans now."

* * *

Dan Weaver sat up and blinked in confusion. It took him a few moments to get his bearings. He wasn't too far from home He got to his feet and began the walk to the house thinking furiously of what he was going to tell Delores this time.

Damned if he knew since he couldn't remember anything from the time he stepped outside of the Oasis with that young girl until now. And that girl wasn't anywhere around so this blackout was a doozy. With all the bodies showing up over at the Preston farm, Delores was probably worried sick.

The fifteen minute walk took him by Groves Gas station so Dan went inside to grab a newspaper. A week had gone by?! Never at his drunkest had he been gone more than a day or two at most. Delores was going to kick his ass this time.

Leaving the gas station, he made his way around the back of the building to the foot path through the woods that would bring him to house and cut off quite a distance from his walk. While he walked, he racked his brain trying to figure out how to keep Delores from blowing up at him.

Dan suddenly stopped at the sight of two strange cars parked in front of his house. The cars were strange, but that didn't explain the feeling of unease he felt at the sight of the black Impala. Cars shouldn't strike fear into a person.

Dan made his way up the stairs to the porch and grabbed the doorknob. He pushed the door open and was pushed forcefully against the wall by a blue-eyed man wearing a trench coat. Like things could possibly get anymore weird.

"This man is tainted." Trench coat said in a gravelly voice.

"He's my husband!" Delores said as she came forward.

"So this is the missing Dan?" Sam asked as Delores glared.

* * *

Dagon sat in the rocking chair in front of the gas station. Patience was his strong suit after all, learned through necessity. When Gabriel cast him into Purgatory he had learned to bide his time and eventually that stupid Seraph came along and opened the gate. Dagon had learned quite a bit from young Castiel, enough to know the situation in Heaven and Hell. And then before the seraph even knew that Dagon had been inside him, Dagon had left him. It was inevitable that Some cosmic entity would force the Seraph to return the souls or simply cast the angel into Purgatory. Dagon had no plans of going back.

And now he must be patient again. He had released the vessel he had been wearing, knowing the vessel would return to his dwelling and cross the wards that kept Dagon out. He would discover what was happening in the house. In time Dagon would call that vessel back and and he would know what the vessel knew. But until then Dagon would be patient.


	23. Lucifer's sigil

Sam grabbed onto Delores and pulled her back from the man she was married to. Dean stepped up close to Castiel and studied the confused man.

"What do you mean tainted Cas?" Dean asked.

Castiel glanced at Dean. "Perhaps Sam should take her into the other room. It would be best if we took him to the panic room until I can explain."

"Come on Delores." Sam said turning the magi toward the kitchen and glancing at Dean as if to say I've got this. "Let's make some coffee."

Dean and Castiel each took one of Dan's arms and guided him downstairs to the panic room where they tied him to a chair as Castiel placed two fingers to his forehead knocking him unconscious.

"Okay Cas, What do you mean he's tainted.?" Dean demanded.

"His soul is like Sam's, tainted." Castiel said.

"Whoa! I thought we had gotten past the whole Sam is an abomination thing?" Dean said.

"My apologies. I do not mean to imply that there is something wrong with Sam. But his soul is tainted with a trace of Lucifer's grace, just as Jimmy's soul is tainted with a trace of my grace." Castiel explained. "It is a result of acting as a vessel."

"This guy is a vessel?" Dean asked.

"He was used as a vessel, yes." Castiel said. "And the grace is somewhat like the grace that remains in Sam's soul. An Archangel's grace."

"But Lucifer and Michael are in the cage. Gabriel is in there too now." Dean said.

"And Raphael is dead. However Dagon was once the Archangel Kemuel." Castiel pointed out.

"But doesn't that mean he had to say yes?" Dean asked. "Angel's can't just possess someone."

"In the beginning, we could. At least until father created the Rule of Permission." Castiel said. "And the Fallen are no longer angels. Their grace is corrupted. Remember, Azazel was fallen. They are more like Demons, only as hard to kill as angels."

So Dagon possessed this guy?" Dean asked.

"It is the only logical explanation. As you said Michael and Lucifer are locked in the cage. Gabriel already has a vessel, one he created for himself a long time ago. He has no reason to enter this man." Castiel said. "That leaves only a fallen Archangel, Dagon."

"So why did he let him go?" Dean asked.

* * *

"You, are a most ungrateful child." The elderly woman said to the man sitting in the rocking chair.

"Father." Dagon sarcastically replied. "Have you come to smite me? Oh that's right. You can't can you? Something about an oath to Gabriel?"

"As I said, ungrateful. Most would be thankful to a brother who abased himself before me to beg for their life." God said.

"That was Gabriel's choice. Perhaps you should have gifted him with a spine instead a soft heart." Dagon snarled. "The youngest Archangel, and the weakest."

"Weak? I watched him cast you into Purgatory. I watched him battle the Leviathan. Gabriel is much stronger than you give him credit for being. His very name means my might and my strength." God replied. "Gabriel will be responsible for your death. He may not wield the blade, but he guides it."

"So you will break your oath." Dagon said.

"No, I will not lift a finger against you." God said. "I will simply stand back, and watch. It has never been my desire to see my children die, any of them. But they have died and I will simply have to witness the death of another. A small price to pray to protect all that I have created."

* * *

Delores sat back in her chair. "I should have considered this possibility. I think that I should explain the relationship that I have with Dan."

"When I was in town talking to the Police chief, he kind of let slip that Dan tends to...wander." Sam said.

"It's not really his fault. Dan was my late husband Randall's best friend. They had grown up together." Delores said. "It was 1972 and Randall was working on a case that started in Ilchester, Maryland. It was a sign that all of the Magi knew to look for.

Randall was teaching Dan to become a hunter and took Dan with us to Ilchester. While we were there Dan became possessed by a demon. I was able to exorcise the demon but it was stronger than any demon that we had come across up until then. Dan shot Randall before I could cast the demon out.

Dan hasn't been right since then. He was grief stricken at killing Randall. But Randall asked me with his dying breath to watch over Dan. Since then Dan has been open to the demonic. They will possess him from time to time. When they do, he wanders."

Sam, Dean and Castiel all looked at each other.

"St Mary's Convent." Sam said. "Let me guess the demon had yellow eyes."

"Yes, how did you know?" Delores said.

"Azazel. He's why our Dad started hunting." Dean said. "If it makes you feel any better we ganked the son of a bitch a few years back."

"If Dan is open to the demonic it may be why Dagon chose him." Castiel said.

"So the question is what do we do about it?" Sam said.

"Normally I would rebuild the wards around him, but I'm not sure that any wards I put up against Dagon will be effective." Delores said.

"He is unconscious and should remain that way. Say nothing in his presence and lock him in the panic room." Castiel said. "I must consult with Gabriel."

"How exactly do you plan on doing that when Gabriel is on lockdown with Michael and Lucifer in the cage?" Dean asked. "You gonna just waltz right in to the most secure prison in the entire cosmos and ask him?"

"I do not believe that dancing will be of any assistance to us." Castiel said. "I will however enter the cage, it was built to contain Archangels, not Seraphs. I will ask our Father to assist me."

* * *

"It appears that your cage is quite comfortable." Castiel said looking around at the furniture and electionics.

"Oh for Daddy's sake! I don't need anymore roommates!" Lucifer said with disgust. "The place is overcrowded already!"

"I will not be remaining long." Castiel said. "Father has allowed me a limited amount of time to talk to Gabriel."

"So talk. Then go back and tell Fonzi and Chachi to get off their asses and do what we're all waiting on them to do." Gabriel snarled. "Smite Dagon into tiny little pieces!"

"That is their intention Gabriel, however we need to know if it is possible to block Dagon from possessing a human." Castiel replied. "The Magi's husband has been used as a vessel."

"So he's beyond redemption." Gabriel said heavily sitting down on the couch.

"You were already aware of this Gabriel." Castiel said. "You are the one who told me that our Brother was long dead."

Lucifer moved to sit down beside Gabriel and put an arm around his shoulder in comfort. "What you're telling us is proof that Dagon has passed the point of redemption. Without proof there's always room for hope, even if you suspect the worst." Lucifer looked over at Michael. "Mikey, you remember the old Sigil that identified me, back before I became known as the Morningstar?"

"Yes I remember it. It won't get you out of here though." Michael warned.

"I know it won't. But it should put a good scare into Dagon." Lucifer said "It will remind him of the days before the wars."

 _"And of how jealously protective you can be of Gabriel when you wish to be."_ Michael said grace to grace.

 _"Yeah that too."_ Lucifer replied through grace and then spoke out loud. "Knowing I have a prior claim on that one through Azazel won't hurt either."

Michael produced a scroll handing it to Castiel. "Use this sigil. You'll be invoking Lucifer's protection against Dagon. Out of all of us in this cage, Lucifer is probably the only one that Dagon still truly fears."


	24. Kali

"I was able to secure this sigil which should prevent Dagon from possessing you husband. You should also ward your property with it." Castiel said handing it to Delores. "It was suggested that you, Garth and Dean be warded with it just in case."

"Sounds like this is some serious mojo." Dean said.

"It is an ancient sigil belonging to Lucifer from the days before the Angelic Wars."

"Whoa! You expect us to use the devil to ward ourselves?" Dean asked. "No way!"

"It predates Lucifer's fall, and should not have any of the corrupted energy associated with the devil. This sigil is of the Archangel most favored by our father." Castiel said. "Lucifer detested Kemuel's connection to the Leviathan at the time this sigil was used."

"Still, we're talking about Lucifer!" Dean said.

"Dean, I don't think you have grasped the fact that Lucifer is helping because he hates the Leviathan more than he hates humanity." Castiel said.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" Sam said. "So what once we get rid of Dagon and the Leviathan threat he'll turn on us?"

"I believe that father's decision to place Gabriel in the cage is so that Lucifer may learn tolerance for you through Gabriel. Gabriel has become your champion among the Archangels. His time on Earth has resulted in in a growing affection for your species." Castiel said.

"So how come you didn't include Sam when you said we should ward ourselves?" Garth asked.

Castiel hesitated for a moment. "As I explained to Dean earlier, Sam's soul is...tainted."

"What? Tainted what the hell Cas?" Sam said. "After everything I'm still some demon blood infected abomination to you guys?"

"No, Sam. Your soul is tainted by Lucifer's grace. All souls of those who have acted as vessels are tainted by the grace of the angel that inhabited them." Castiel explained. "It does not mean that you are an abomination, simply that you once hosted an angel."

"So a part of Lucifer is still inside of me?" Sam asked unhappy at the news.

"No, he simply left a mark. It does not affect you in any way other than to announce to other angel's that you belonged to an angel as a vessel." Castiel said. "Lucifer has a prior clam on you and you are his vessel. Dagon will steer clear of you."

"But you said that Dan's soul is tainted." Delores said.

"Your husband's soul is doubly tainted by Dagon and by Azazel." Castiel said. "Azazel was once Luficer's most trusted general. Lucifer's sigil will mark his soul announcing that Lucifer has a claim on it. Lucifer is older and more powerful than Dagon."

"So Dagon won't want to tangle with Lucifer." Dean asked.

"Lucifer is the only one that Dagon may still fear." Castiel explained.

"That makes sense except for one thing. Lucifer is locked in the cage." Sam said.

"This is true but it does not diminish the influence that he has outside of the cage. The actions of Azazel and Lilith should be proof of that." Castiel said.

"Like John Gotti." Garth said. "Running the Gambino crime family from inside his prison cell."

"An accurate description." Castiel nodded.

"Son of a bitch." Dean exclaimed. "So as much as I hate it. We have to accept the devil's help."

"You are also being helped by Michael and Gabriel. None of the Archangels wants Dagon to continue running loose." Castiel pointed out.

"Okay so what do we have to do?" Dean asked resigned.

* * *

"We should have a back up plan." Lucifer said as he turned from the television to face Gabriel. "Remember the trick I taught you that used to drove Michael batshit?"

"Get that idea out of your head right now Lucifer." Michael ordered.

"Come on Mikey it always worked on you." Lucifer said. "And we all know that Dagon could very well ignore that sigil if he thinks that I'm powerless."

"You are powerless, you're stuck in here." Michael pointed out.

"But Dagon doesn't know the extent of what I can do." Lucifer argued.

"You do realize that It's been eons, right?" Gabriel jumped in. "T-Rex was still eating Brontosaur tartar for breakfast the last time I did that."

"Which means you're woefully out of practice." Michael said.

"It's not like we don't have plenty of time to practice stuck in here." Lucifer pointed out. "If it comes down to it, having little brother here pull a Luci might be the one ace in the hole we have left to play."

"I did fool you more than once Michael." Gabriel said. "And it's not like Dagon knows exactly what Luci is like after all this time."

"He's going to reason that my time in the cage changed me as much as his time in Purgatory." Lucifer said. "And Gabriel does still have his powers."

"If Father finds out he will make sure that you both regret it for centuries to come." Michael said.

"He won't find out, and if he does we're just trying to avoid being bored." Lucifer said.

* * *

"What is this?" Dagon asked looking at the woman the fallen had dragged in front of him.

"Look closely at her Dagon, she is not what she appears to be." The fallen told him prompting Dagon to get close enough to really study the woman.

"Well, well this is a surprise." Dagon said. "Tell me, how does a pagan goddess end up with the scent of an angel clinging to her? You would have had to be very close to that angel."

He leaned forward and sniffed inhaling deeply. "I know the scent of that grace as well as my own. We would lay next to each other for decades just watching the parade of life and death on this world."

Dagon took a step back and glanced around the room with a smirk at the handful of fallen gathered around him.

"Brothers, I believe we wasted a lot of time and effort looking for him when we should have just hunted for a Hindu slut."

The dark skinned woman glared malevolently at Dagon.

"Little pagan, you have no power over me. But you will help me. You stink of Gabriel." Dagon said.

"I know of no one called Gabriel." Kali spat.

"No? Well my brother did tend to hide behind masks. You won't mind if I just check and see if perhaps he was hiding behind one of his masks when he marked you with his scent like a dog urinating on a tree."

Dagon placed a palm on either side of her face forcing himself into her mind. Kali realized that he was much stronger than she was. She also realized that the bloodspell she had placed on Loki was still there. She severed the connection quite a bit more brutally than necessary but by doing so she prevented this corrupted angel from using it against Gabriel.

Dagon enraged at having had a way to locate Gabriel snatched out of his hand, twisted Kali's head snapping her neck. He released her and snarled "Pagan whore!"

* * *

Gabriel was concentrating on Lucifer's grace when he suddenly gasped. Michael reached out and grabbed him as his vessel collapsed unconscious.

"Gabriel!" Michael lowered his brother onto the couch.

"What the hell?" Lucifer reached out with his grace only to realize that the vessel was empty. "He's not in there."

Michael looked around the cage. "Where is he?"


	25. Temporary vessel

Gabriel blinked in confusion. Or rather tried to blink in confusion, it's kind of hard to blink when you don't have human eyes. Angelic eyes never closed. Gabriel realized that somehow he had become disincorporated from his vessel.

Gabriel came to a second realization; he was for all intents and purposes, naked. He reached out to find his vessel and couldn't sense it anywhere that he could reach it. It was in the cage and he was out of it. "Uh Dad, I think I need a little help here. I mean every angel, demon and supernatural creature within earshot can sense me."

* * *

Castiel watched as Delores cast the last warding around Garth. The entire group jumped in alarm as a familiar blonde haired angel popped into their midst, sprinkled something into the bowl he was holding and muttered an incantation.

"Kind of unnerving isn't it you old fossil." Balthazar said with a smirk.

"Balthazar! What the hell?" Dean yelled "You're supposed to be dead, so yeah, Having dead angel's pop up out of nowhere is unnerving as hell!"

"I wasn't talking to you Winchester." Balthazar snarked.

"He was speaking to Gabriel." Castiel said.

"I thought Gabriel was in the cage." Sam said.

"He was, something pulled him out." Balthazar explained. "Without his vessel, so he's glowing like a supernatural neon sign."

"So why doesn't he just get back inside his vessel?" Dean asked.

"Because his vessel is in the cage."

Everyone turned around to see what looked like a teenaged girl standing behind them.

"You!" Dean gasped.

"Yes me." The girl smiled. "Our paths just seem to keep crossing don't they Dean Winchester? But it is not you I have come to see this time." She turned toward Sam. "I have come to speak to Samuel."

"Well, with your permission Father I'll get back to the task that you called me back for." Balthazar said.

"Yes Balthazar go." She turned toward Castiel. "Castiel, Gabriel and I wish to speak to Samuel alone. You will take the others and explain the situation to them."

"As you wish father." Castiel said before urging everyone out of the panic room.

Sam was looking at the being in front of him and trying to reconcile it with the mental idea that he had always had of 'God'.

"I'm not what you expected? It's just a temporary vessel." God said. "You have been a vessel Samuel and I understand that it was not the most pleasant of experiences. But you were born to contain the grace of an Archangel. And I am here to ask you to do so again."

"I'm not saying yes to Lucifer." Sam said.

"I would never ask you to host that particular child of mine again. I'm asking you to say yes to Gabriel." God said.

* * *

"Okay Cas, what the hell?" Dean said "Talk to Sam in private?"

"Gabriel is in his true form." Castiel explained. "You cannot perceive him but every angel and demon can. Which means Dagon can. There is no way for an angel to mask their grace outside of a vessel."

"So Dagon can find him as he is now." Delores said.

"Yes, he must have a vessel in order to hide himself. But he is an Archangel, the choice of vessels that can contain him is, limited." Castiel said. "The vessel must be descended from both Cain and Abel."

"No! Sam is not saying yes to him!" Dean started to head toward the panic room door when Castiel grabbed him.

"Do not revert to your old ways Dean. It is Sam's decision not yours." Castiel said. "Father will explain to him what I am trying to explain to you. If Gabriel is not contained and very quickly Dagon will find him and he will discover how to open the cage. Is that what you want? You know where that will lead."

Dean yanked his arm from Cas' grip and punched the wall putting a fist sized hole in the drywall. "Son of a bitch! Why is it that we keep getting screwed over by you angels? No matter how hard I try to protect him, you all just come along and everything goes to hell."

The door opened and Sam leaned casually against the frame, he snapped his fingers producing a chocolate chip granola bar. "Maybe you need to stop trying to protect Sam and let him grow up, Bucko." Sam said taking a bite out of the granola bar before making a face. "Ugh! That's terrible. It tastes like wood chips!"

"Gabriel." Dean said flatly.

"Yep, Damn you're shorter than me for once!" Gabriel said looking at Dean's bloody knuckles for a second before snapping his fingers again repairing the drywall and fixing Dean's injured hand.

"What happened Gabriel?" Castiel asked. "Balthazar said that something yanked you out of the cage."

"Not something, someone." Gabriel said a look of grief crossed Sam's face. "Kali, Dagon found her. She destroyed the link that she had created with the blood spell. It pulled me out of the cage and when I finally figured out where I was, I realized that I was at the Elysian and all my gorgeous angelic junk was hanging out in the breeze. My vessel was stuck in the cage with Mikey and Luci and me with no way to get to it. I called Dad and now here I am wearing a Winchester."

"Sam's not your true vessel, I saw what happened to Nick. You going to start burning through Sam like Lucifer did with Nick?" Dean asked.

"Naw, Sammy here is built 'Ford tough'.  He was born to contain the grace of a very powerful Archangel, and If Luci won't burn through him, I won't." Gabriel said. "Nick was from a vessel bloodline but not **the** vessel bloodline. He could contain Cas or Balthazar, any of the Seraphs much like Adam, but they were not born like the two of you. Only you and Sam were created to contain the grace of Archangels, not to mention the two most powerful of the Archangels."

* * *

"This is your fault!" Michael yelled at Lucifer. "You and your bright ideas."

"Shut up Michael!" Lucifer yelled back. "Nothing we were doing could have caused this! Gabriel is missing that should be our focus not laying blame."

"Can the two of you ever not find a reason to fight?" God asked as she materialized in the cage. "I would think that knowing how much he hates it when you fight, you would at least refrain from making him the reason that you fight."

"Father!" Michael said. "Gabriel, we can't sense him he's not here anymore but his vessel is."

"Yes I'm aware. Gabriel is fine. He's safely inside a temporary vessel, Sam Winchester." God said.

"What happened." Lucifer asked.

"Gabriel was careless enough to allow a pagan goddess to place a blood spell on his vessel." God said placing her hand on the vessel's chest.

"Kali?" Lucifer asked. "I should have killed her."

"She was captured by the Fallen. Dagon probed her mind and came across the blood connection. She acted swiftly to sever it before Dagon could make use of it." God said. "Dagon was enraged by her actions, and killed her. She was a pagan but she held honest affection for your brother and gave her life to protect him."

God smiled as the vessel's chest began to rise and fall in a regular rhythm. "He will need this vessel once everything is over. The two of you will care for it.

* * *

Dagon looked around the ballroom of the ruined hotel. In the split second he had touched the blood link it had led him to this place. This Elysian Fields hotel. He had followed the link here to this room where the faint impression of wings was scorched into the floor.

Gabriel had fallen here but the fact that the link had been intact was proof that Gabriel had not died. Or if he had Father had brought him back from Death. Gabriel had slipped through his fingers.


	26. Kali's secrets

"Wow! Sammy is really...roomy." Gabriel said. "Like one of those land yachts they made back in the 70's and called them cars."

"Yeah, well don't get too comfortable." Dean said. "You're not staying."

"Doesn't mean I can't enjoy it while I've got it." Gabriel snarked snapping up a Hershey's bar. "Hey!"

Dean grabbed the bar and tossed it in the trash. "Stop trying to fill him up with chocolate! And aren't you supposed to be hiding in there?"

"I am hiding." Gabriel said. "There's a barrier that surrounds my grace and keeps it from leaking out."

"So you're not broadcasting." Dean said "What about other angels. They can sense you."

"All they can sense is the angel that they expect to be in here." Gabriel said. "When we were all still in Heaven I would imitate Lucifer. I was good enough to fool Michael. I'm good enough to fool anyone else that might come looking."

"Besides Lucifer never was Kemuel's biggest fan even before all this crap started." Gabriel explained.

"So you going to tell me what happened?" Dean asked. "I mean if the devil hates this guy, he must really be a douche."

"You know I'm really getting tired of hearing you call my brothers douche." Gabriel said.

"Last I heard all three of you Arch asshats wanted him taken out." Dean said. "I think that pretty much proves the guy is a douche."

"Dad appointed Lucifer the Steward of this world. It's impossible for you to understand how much Luci loved this place. When Kemuel and I were fledglings, he would bring us down here and point out all the wonders that Dad had created." Gabriel said. "Then Dad created the Leviathan. Kemuel loved those things, then one day they found this planet. Dad had plans for this place, plans that didn't include having it eaten by Leviathan. So he ordered us to lock them in Purgatory. Lucifer knew that Kemuel had a soft spot for them and excused him from taking part in the battle."

"So Lucifer gave him a pass." Dean said.

"Yeah and no sooner did we get them all locked up than Kemuel started talking to the Seraphs. They were pretty young back then and some listened to him." Gabriel said. "After all if God could just arbitrarily lock up one thing that he had created, what was to stop him from doing the same with the angels. So we found ourselves fighting again, only this time it was our brothers and sisters we were fighting against."

"And you asked God to spare his life?" Dean said. "You had to know it was going to come back and bite you in the ass."

"Are you telling me that you would stand back and just let someone kill Sam?" Gabriel huffed. "We're are all exactly where we are right now because you won't let Sam die. Stop being a hypocrite Dean. I didn't do anything that you wouldn't have done put in the same situation. That whole Mystery Spot thing was me trying to keep Sam from being as stupid as Mary, John, you and I had been."

"Hey!" Dean protested.

"Who was it that made a deal with a demon to bring Sam back from the great hunting grounds in the sky? You were stupid, deal with it." Gabriel said. "And even when Kemuel raised one of those bastards, I was still stupid. Instead of calling Michael to smite Kemuel, I tossed what would one day be Dick Roman back into Purgatory and then tossed my brother in behind him. Lucifer and Michael read me the riot act. Because they knew that one day the whole thing would jump up and bite me in the ass, now here I sit with the impression of teeth in my rear end because they were right."

"So what's to keep you from going soft again?" Dean asked. "How do I know you won't try to save him again?"

"He killed Kali. He's sacrificing innocent babies." Gabriel stood up and gave an exhausted sigh. "I'm tired of trying to save something that can't be saved. I may have thrown my brother into Purgatory, but what came back? This isn't my brother. Just like that soulless thing you hunted with for almost a year wasn't Sam. The only difference is that there's no pulling Kemuel's grace out of Purgatory because Dagon is not graceless. It's there, he still has it. It's just so corrupted that there's no saving it."

That Hindu bitch may have severed the connection between herself and Gabriel before he could use it but she had still been a wealth of information for Dagon. Things that Dagon had not known like the fact that Gabriel had been hiding on Earth as the Norse pagan Loki and what really went down when big brother got locked up. And the fact that perhaps he and Lucifer had more in common than Dagon originally thought. Gabriel had betrayed both of them.

Gabriel had stood by and watched while Michael had tossed Lucifer in the pit. He didn't lift a finger to stop it. Even though He had always been Lucifer's favorite brother. And Gabriel had fallen victim to an Archangel's blade in that hotel. The only other angel who had been there was Lucifer, called by the traitor Mercury.

So Lucifer had no qualms about stabbing his favorite brother and shattering his grace. How much easier would it be for Lucifer to stab the brother that had locked him inside of the cage to begin with, Michael.

Michael was a problem. Although father had stayed Michael's hand at Gabriel's plea. Michael had warned him all those eons ago that death would still be meted out at his hands. Michael was the only obstacle that Dagon had to face now. Gabriel was easily manipulated with a few well chosen words, Lucifer had been doubly stabbed in the back. Raphael had been killed by the Seraph Castiel. Michael would be standing alone while Dagon would lead the fallen with Lucifer's assistance.

Dagon sighed there was still the small problem of the cage, how to get Lucifer out of it. And of course winning Lucifer over to his side. That would be easier said than done. Lucifer held no love for the Leviathan, Dagon had to be careful , if Lucifer thought that Dagon meant to raise them, well Lucifer was never an Archangel to mess with. Dagon had been on the receiving end of more than one blow of discipline from the Morningstar. But for now the priority was to find Gabriel. He turned at the sound of footsteps.

"Dagon, you asked us to find you a witch." The fallen stood with a human woman. "I have done so. She says that she is familiar with summoning rituals."

Dagon turned and smiled at the woman. She was of middle years, good. Old enough to had the wisdom to perform a summons and young enough to have the endurance to do so. "Leave us." Dagon ordered.

"You are familiar with Summoning, good." Dagon said as the door closed behind the fallen one. "I wish you to summon a god for me."

The woman's eyes grew wide. "He said nothing of summoning a god. Gods cannot be compelled to a summoning. I can only perform the ritual to ask and then the god must choose to come."

"You are not as familiar with these rituals as you claim woman. Or you would know that they can be compelled." Dagon said. "Through human sacrifice."

Dagon walked over to a door opening it to reveal a small weeping child huddled fearfully on a bed. "I have acquired the sacrifice. You will summon Loki of the Norse Pantheon."

"Sam, sit down and relax." Balthazar said. "You were deathly ill only a day ago. You're certainly not strong enough to go chasing after your brother right now."

"I have to find Dean, Balthazar" Sam said as he stood up from the bed and swayed on his feet.

Balthazar moved quickly to ease him back down. "While I normally appreciate the famed Winchester determination, at this point in time it can only cause further problems. Dean is fine, Castiel is with him."

Balthazar let out a relieved breath as a scruffy looking young man appeared. "Father. Sam is rather determined to see his brother."

"Of course he would be determined to see him." God said pulling up a chair beside the bed. "Sam, you're looking much better. I know that you want to see for yourself that Dean is well but I cannot allow that. You still need to rest and Dean is involved in a quest specific to him. It's a quest that he must complete on his own, without help from you."

God waved his hand producing a steaming bowl of Beef and Crab soup. "You should eat Sam"

God stood up and took Balthazar's arm urging him away from Sam. "Keep him here at costs. The last thing we need is for him to run into Dean or worse himself."

"And when this is all over, what are we going to do with him?" Balthazar asked.

"What do you think? I will reunite him with himself." God said. "But for now he stays here."


	27. The dark magic of Loki

"I do not require sustenance." Castiel said as he stood awkwardly by the kitchen table.

"Castiel, sit down and eat." Gabriel said as Dean frowned at the angel now riding his brother. "You may not require sustenance, but your vessel does. Being sustained by Grace does nothing to satisfy your vessel's hunger. Jimmy Novak was starved half to death when you left him that time." Gabriel lifted a bite of chicken to him mouth. "Besides, Delores worked very hard on this meal and refusing to eat is rude."

Castiel sat down and and Dean began loading his plate with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and peas. Gabriel glared at the younger angel until he began to eat. Everyone was enjoying the meal when there was a loud thump from the den followed by a yell of "Delores!" The cry brought everyone to their feet.

Castiel reached out and grabbed the woman's arm. "Gabriel?"

"I don't sense Dagon's presence at the moment." Gabriel answered. "That doesn't mean that he won't take him over as soon as he senses him again." Gabriel stood up and manifested a sword.

Castiel suddenly blinked and took a step back, looking fearfully at Sam. "Lucifer." He gasped.

A mischievous smile broke out on Sam's face. "Let's just hope if Dagon shows up he believes it. Come on Delores, lets check on your hubby."

Delores led the way to the converted den. The group entered to find Dan Weaver sprawled on the floor by the bed entangled in the sheets. As soon as he caught sight of Delores he seemed to relax.

"Delores, I think it happened again. It was bad this time." The man gave a shudder. "I remember I had ordered a witch to do a human sacrifice on a baby."

Delores gave a sigh. "Come on Dan, lets get you up off of the floor."

Castiel reached down and grabbed the man's arm lifting him to his feet. "It is better if you do not touch him."

"Are you sure that you had ordered an actual human sacrifice?" Gabriel asked.

"Yes in the dream I wanted her to summon someone. I think it was a god. I can't remember who." Dan's face screwed up into a frown.

"Was it maybe Loki?" Gabriel nudged.

"Yes! That's the one, Loki. I don't think I meant him any good." Dan said. "And I think that I had already killed a child before, but I can't remember why."

"Okay time to stash you somewhere safe. Castiel call Garth in here." Gabriel said.

* * *

Sam was tired of laying around. It's all he had been doing since he woke up. He was also tired of Balthazar's obviously evasive answers to a simple question, where's Dean.

Quite a few things had been running through Sam's mind. Dean was alive and the angel knew where, he just wasn't telling. If Balthazar wouldn't say, then Sam just had to find out on his own.

Sam stood up from the bed and went to his duffle bag. He began digging around inside. He pulled out a change of clothes and his shower kit along with a small pocketknife Dean had given to him a few years ago. Straightened up he made a show of gathering the item in his arms before heading to the bathroom.

Balthazar lifted his head from the newspaper he was reading to look at the young hunter.

"What? I'm just going to take a shower okay?" Sam snorted. "Some of us actually have to wash our bodies you know. We can't just mojo ourselves springtime fresh."

Sam went into the bathroom and closed the door. Working quickly he sliced into his forearm and began painting a sigil on the mirror over the sink. Once done he smiled and yelled. "Hey Balthazar could you give me a hand?"

As soon as the angel opened the door, Sam slapped his bloody palm over the sigil banishing the angel. Moving quickly he grabbed what weapons he had and went to the door of the room and opened it. Slipping out into the parking lot. He quickly scanned the lot not seeing the Impala he noticed an older car from the 1950's. He tried the door which was unlocked and slid into the driver's side before reaching under the dash to hotwire the vehicle.

Sam put the car in gear and backed out of the parking spot turning onto the road with no idea of where he was going. But he was going to find his brother.

"That wasn't very nice." A small voice said from the passenger seat.

Sam slammed on the brakes and turned to the side seeing a little girl sitting there.

"No it wasn't." Sam looked up to see Balthazar lounging in the back seat. "If you wanted to get out for a while, all you had to do was ask."

"I want to find Dean." Sam said.

"Dean isn't here Sam. He's busy." the little girl said. "But obviously you are feeling better now so I guess you need to have a little freedom."

The child snapped her fingers and Sam found that they were now sitting in the car in front of a huge wrought iron gate that was slowing swinging open. The car began moving forward driving itself up to a huge mansion.

"Where?" Sam sputtered.

"Consider it your home for now." God said. "Plenty of room to move. You have the run of the estate."

"Ah this is more like it!" Balthazar said getting out of the car.

"Sam, I understand that you want to see Dean. When he is finished with his task you will." God said. "But do not try to leave the Estate and please refrain from banishing your bodyguard again." The little girl disappeared.

"So how about lunch? Dad's personal chef is Julia Child." Balthazar said making his way up the stairs to the front door.

* * *

"Where is Dan?" Delores asked as she entered the panic room.

"Somewhere safe." Gabriel said. "I sent him and Garth to one of my hideouts. He's hidden from every angel or demon who would try to use him."

Gabriel had a bowl on the table in front of him sprinkling herbs and other things into it. He hummed quietly to himself for a moment and then snapped his fingers producing a flower.

"Foxglove? What are you doing?" Delores asked her curiosity piqued.

"Trying to save the life of a child that Dagon is going to kill for no reason." Gabriel said.

"I don't understand. We don't even know where this child is?" Delores pointed out. "How is this going to save the child and what do you mean the child is going to die for no reason?"

"You're a magi. I know it's been a while since people practiced pagan magic but you should understand the power of a human sacrifice. The thing is in this case, it won't work."

"You're saying that this witch can't summon Loki?" Delores asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. It's impossible to compel Loki to do anything because Loki was never a Pagan god. He's always been an Archangel in hiding." Gabriel explained. "Whenever someone summoned Loki and I showed up it was my choice. I could have resisted every one of those human sacrifice summons, but I had to play by the pagan rules."

"So you let people be sacrificed to you?" Delores was shocked.

"Human sacrifices to Loki didn't last very long. I would come, find out what they wanted and then the one who summoned me would get their just desserts. I was pretty brutal about it too." Gabriel said measuring a bit of powder into the bowl. "As a matter of fact there's a myth out there about Loki being bound with his son's entrails while acid drips down on him. Sigyn sits at his side with a bowl catching the acid before it hits him but when the bowl get's full, well you catch my drift."

"Yes I'm familiar with it." Delores said.

"Well let me tell you how that particular myth got started." Gabriel said. "It's how I stopped the human sacrifices. That was the just desserts those who summoned me with sacrifices got. I would bind them to their own altars with the entrails of their victim. Then I would force their mouths open and bind their heads so they couldn't close their mouth and suspend their victim over them so that as the victim's body decomposed it would drip down into their open mouths. A few times of doing that and the human sacrifices stopped."

Gabriel snapped his fingers and flames sprang up from the bowl. He snapped his fingers again and the smoke seemed to take on a vaguely human shape. "Find the witch who would call Loki with human sacrifice, show her the vengeance of the Lord of Mischief for those who would paint my altar with the blood of a human sacrifice."

Delores watched as the vaguely man shaped thing disappeared. "That seemed more dark magic than pagan magic."

"It is, Loki is one of the dark ones after all." Gabriel said.


	28. Preparing for a ritual

Carla Hargrove came from a long line of Wiccans although she herself was a witch. Wiccans held to a strict rule of 'Do no harm.' Carla however was a bit more liberal. It's not that she had ever done true evil, just harmles little less than benign spells like the time she cursed Cathy Morrison with a nasty case of of the stomach flu the day before prom night so Cathy's date would take her. Or causing Jim Albright to to have a flat tire making him miss his interview for the promotion that they had both been up for at work. Not true evil just minor inconveniences.

She also knew that what she was planning to do would damn her for all eternity but the demon had made her a promise. His gratitude would make her stay in hell much more pleasant than it could be. Carla referred to the guide of runes picking out the strongest for protection that she could find.

"Foolish woman, do you think your witch's scribblings will protect you from he who has not been summoned by blood for centuries."

Carla spun around to find a dark shadow hovering just outside of the circle. "What are you?!"

"I'm a shadow of that which you will summon, a warning sent to you by him. To summon Loki is to die as it has been since the beginning."

"He sends a warning?" she scoffed. "Perhaps he fears to be summoned."

"I have not yet given you the warning that was sent." The shade said crossing the circle and settling over her wrapping her in a nightmare.

* * *

"I found our witch." Gabriel said flatly as he entered the kitchen. "She hasn't done her little ritual yet, she's still setting up. Luckily she's having to look up the proper runes. But make no mistake she's a delusional little bitch."

"Delusional?" Dean asked.

"She thinks that Dagon will make her time in hell easy in exchange for her committing suicide." Gabriel said.

"So there's time to save the child?" Delores asked.

"If we leave now, yes." Gabriel said. "Do you still have my sword?" He asked Delores.

"Yes. But don't you need it?" Delores asked.

"I'm inside of Sam, Luci's true vessel. He can wield Lucifer's sword." Gabriel said "Just like Dean can wield Michael's. And since I gifted my sword to you, Delores you have the power to wield it."

"Uh, Gabe there is one problem." Dean spoke up. "I didn't exactly grow up swinging a broadsword.."

"That's not a problem Dean. The swords are a part of our grace and we trained with them religiously, pardon the pun." Gabriel said. "Our swords are imprinted with our knowledge and skill. Just let the sword fight for you."

"Huh?" Dean was perplexed.

"So all we have to do is hang on to it and let it fight?" Delores asked.

"Sort of." Gabriel said. "If you let the sword guide you, you'll wield it like the Archangel it belonged to. So Dean you would fight like Michael, Delores you'll fight like me and Sam will fight like Lucifer."

The flutter of wings announced the arrival of another angel.

"Balthazar what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be babysitting?" Gabriel asked.

"Taken care of. Father decided to show him a little hospitality on one of his estates. Cassie is babysitting hubby, so Father sent me to babysit Magi." Balthazar explained.

"She has my sword but I won't complain about you being here too." Gabriel said. "Dean, lets roll."

* * *

Michael and Lucifer sat quietly watching Gabriel's vessel. A boring duty to say the least since it just laid there and slept. The two started as a bright light filled the cage.

"Father." Michael greeted.

"2000 years of nobody but me and suddenly this place is Grand Central station." Lucifer grumbled.

"Don't worry things will be back to normal soon." God said now looking like she would be right at home in the middle of a mosh pit. "Gabriel has located Dagon and he and Dean are on their way to confront him."

"He's going after Dagon?" Lucifer said. "Of all the stupid ideas that brat has had over the eons, this might just prove to be the most asinine of all."

"Gabriel is completely enraged. Dagon planned to kill another child. Gabriel is determined to prevent him from doing so." God said.

"Dagon will sweet talk him just like he's always done." Lucifer snorted.

"Have a little faith Lucifer. This time Dagon has crossed a line and Dean is with him, bearing Michael's sword as Sam bears yours." God explained. "They must not fail. Michael, you will accompany me. Balthazar minds the magi but she would still be better protected with you nearby."

"Well on the bright side it's just me and Captain Comatose over there now." Lucifer snarked. "The first peace and quiet I've had since Sam tossed me back in here." Lucifer said as he stretched out on one of the the couches.

* * *

Carla had shaken off the gruesome images that shadow had subjected her to. But it was still hanging over her like a pall whispering of retribution from Loki. She donned a black cloak and picked up the ceremonial dagger that she would use for the ritual. Placing the knife into a basket containing a variety of herbs and minerals that would be needed, she began making her way to the spot that Dagon insisted would be used for the sacrifice.

A couple of the demons fell into step behind her one cradling a sleeping child in his arms. Carla wasn't completely evil. She might have to sacrifice the child but that didn't mean the little one needed to be aware of what was happening. She had given the child a concoction to cause a deep sleep.

The group trudged through the woods before reaching a clearing. There ringed by the trees in the center of the clearing was a large stone.

"Wait here." Carla said. "I must prepare the altar for sacrifice."

Hurrying forward she placed the basket on the ground and the knife on the surface of the rock She reached into the basket and pulled out a compass and a sheet of paper. She carefully counted off six paces ans knelt down using the dagger to carve a rune into the soil. Standing up she returned to the rock and once again consulted the compass before repeating the process.

"What are you doing?" One of the demons asked. "Dagon wants the ritual completed."

"I told you, I have to prepare the altar for sacrifice and these runes must be precisely placed at the points of the compass." Carla replied.

"You waste time." the other demon said.

"Your master told you to find a witch didn't he?" Carla demanded. "I guess that means none of you know how to summon a god. I do. Now shut up and let me do my part in peace!"

"Leave the witch be." Dagon ordered as he stepped into the clearing. "Rituals must be completed correctly."

Looking at Carla Dagon hissed. "What is that shadow that covers you witch?"

"It's nothing." Carla said. "A pest supposedly sent as a warning from Loki."

* * *

Dean startled as the Impala suddenly gained speed gas pedal lowering to the floor even though Dean's foot wasn't pressing it. In fact he had yanked his foot back when he felt it move.

"Dagon is at the doorway." Gabriel said. "Your 'baby' is going to have to go a lot faster than this."

"Gabriel if you make me wreck the Impala." Dean started.

"Relax we won't crash, and I'll even give her an angelic tune up when this is over. But for now saving a child and destroying Dagon is the priority."


	29. Just say yes, please

Delores squeaked in alarm when Balthazar suddenly jumped up from his seat and stood at attention staring towards the door way. Delores grabbed the hilt of the sword even though she couldn't see any threat, the angel's actions made her look for one.

"You don't need that magi." Balthazar explained as he relaxed. "You have another bodyguard."

"Another?" she repeated turning in a circle.

"He's not in a vessel at the moment, he wanted to warn me that he and Father are hunting a suitable temporary body for him and he will return as soon as that has been accomplished." Balthazar explained. "Father must have huge plans for you to send him."

"Who exactly is...him?" Delores asked.

"I am Michael." A man she had never seen before said as he materialized in the living room.

"Michael as in the Archangel?" Delores gasped. "Two of the four Archangels have stood in my living room?! No offense but a friend said that things tend to go south when you angels take an interest in someone."

"This friend sounds an awful lot like my vessel. Dean Winchester's experiences with us were not handled in the best of ways." Michael replied. "He was never able to see the big picture as we do. Of us all only Gabriel and Lucifer have any understanding of the limited view you humans have of creation. Angelic eyes never close, we see the past set in stone for us and the present as point where countless futures stretch before us."

"Michael are you planning to confuse the magi?" Balthazar asked.

"No, I believe her mind is open to understanding and it allows us to pass the time." Michael said. "Only father can change the past, this you are aware of as he has done so already by choosing a critical point to allow the future to be changed. At this moment there are an infinite number of futures possible depending on the choices made by all at the present point in time. I can see all of these futures as clearly as if they have already happened."

"Angels can tell the future?" Delores asked.

"No only see the possibilities." Michael said. "The possibilities are endless, the probabilities are finite. There is a good probability that Dagon will send some of his fallen here, just as there is the probability that Gabriel will once again be moved by his love of Kemuel. There is an equal probability that Gabriel will stand by and not interfere allowing Dean Winchester to finally destroy Dagon once and for all. We cannot predict the future because every decision made at this point will change the outcome."

Delores dropped down into her chair. "So the future is changed time and time again in a single moment based on the choices of billions of people."

"See Balthazar, I was correct. The magi is open to understanding." Michael said.

* * *

Dean parked the car and grabbed his sword as he got out of the vehicle. Gabriel followed suit and looked at the trees.

"Sam knows which way to go." Gabriel said. "From here on in it's up to you. I am going to withdraw behind Sam's soul otherwise Dagon might sense me. Don't screw up Deano. Kill Dagon."

"Sam?" Dean asked as his brother seemed to blink for a few moments as if coming out of a stupor.

"Yeah. Gabriel is there but he's not. He's doing the Lucifer imitation again." Sam pointed toward the trees. "That way, it's where Gabriel threw Kemuel into Purgatory. They going to use that stone as an altar for the sacrifice." Sam drew Lucifer's sword and started walking leaving Dean to draw Michael's sword and follow behind him.

* * *

God appeared in the huge mansion just as Sam stepped out of the shower. "Are you ready to see Dean?"

"You'll let me see him?" Sam asked skeptically.

"Yes, it's time for you to do your part. It's time to fix things and remove the threat of destruction from the world. This timeline is ended." She stepped forward and placed two fingers against Sam's forehead.

* * *

Dean reached out and grabbed Sam as he stumbled. "Sammy?"

"I'm okay, lets go."

"What the hell was that about?" Dean asked referring to Sam's near tumble.

"Lets just say you aren't the only one that's experienced two timelines. I think God...It was like I was somewhere else for a split second."

"Do what?" Dean said.

"I'll explain it to you, just not now. We have to stop Dagon and the fallen." Sam said pulling away and stepping forward.

"Whoa we can't just go running out there. We need a plan." Dean said.

Sam seemed to get a faraway look in his eyes for a moment. "Gabriel says that I should try to draw Dagon's attention. You have to be the one who kills him."

"What about the kid?" Dean asked.

"Just try to keep the fighting away from him and pray." Sam said starting forward.

* * *

Dagon was about to approach the altar with the child in his arms, sensing the grace of an angel he looked up pinning Sam with his gaze. "Lucifer, and here I was just about to summon our backstabbing brother to find out how to release you from your imprisonment."

"Which backstabbing brother would that be?" Sam asked stepping forward.

"The one who betrayed us both, Gabriel." Dagon answered calmly "Perhaps you would like to take part in our little ritual. We were just about to sacrifice this little one to call him." Dagon indicated the child in his arms."

"Why should I help you? You will only open the gates of Purgatory and release your Leviathan on the world. You know how I feel about those abominations." Sam answered as he walked closer to the altar.

Dagon suddenly stiffened and spun around. "What is this? One of Michael's avatars and wielding Michael's blade no less." Dagon said nodding to the fallen. "He might be an avatar but he is still only human."

Dean suddenly found himself under attack by several of the fallen and Sam Suddenly lunged forward snatching the child from a distracted Dagon who struck out with a manifested blade. Sam raised Lucifer's sword just in time to block the blow. Dagon suddenly found himself confronted with another Sam who scooped the child up and ran from the clearing leaving the Second Sam with his sword locked against Dagon's.

Dagon suddenly stepped back as he saw through the ruse. "Gabriel."

"Dagon." Gabriel answered. "Have you forgotten, Michael's sword, Michael's grace." Gabriel suddenly disappeared only to materialize at Dean's side.

Dagon growled. "Kill the vessel."

Gabriel suddenly manifested his angel blade in his left hand and threw it into the throat of one of the fallen creeping up behind Dean to his left.

"Shit there's no way. There's too many of them." Dean said.

"Dammit Dean get Dagon. Don't worry about these idiots. They aren't the important ones." Gabriel said as he took over Sam's body for the fight.

"But Sam," Dean protested.

"Don't worry about Sam, I'll keep him safe. These bastards aren't good enough to take me down Dean. But Dagon has to die by Michael's hands." Gabriel said parrying another blow.

"Yeah well you're an Archangel. You're supposed to be badass aren't you?" Dean gasped "Like Dickhead over there said. I'm human."

"Only because you're being stubborn. Just say yes and let Michael do it." Gabriel spat.

"What the hell?"

"Dammit Dean!  Remember what Dad put the effort into showing you. How things would have worked out if you had said yes." Gabriel said dodging a wild swing. "Get your head out of your ass Winchester!"

"But he's in the cage." Dean tried to justify his refusal.

"No he's not. Dad brought him up to do this. It has to happen this way." Gabriel explained. "Just say yes...please."


	30. Yes

Dean wasn't sure if it was Gabriel's sincere please or it was seeing Gabriel dodging between the fallen fending off an attack, but he found himself with a clear thought in his head. _Alright Michael you son of a bitch, yes! For Sam's sake._

The fallen suddenly broke off their attack seeing the bright column of light that enveloped Dean Winchester. Gabriel renewed his efforts as Michael's presence was suddenly enveloping everyone in the clearing. A truly malicious smile crept onto the younger Archangel's face.

"Feeling gleeful little brother?" Michael said.

"Just looking forward to smiting the Fallen, Bro." Gabriel replied as he reached down and grabbed the hilt of his angel blade pulling it from the dead fallen's throat.

"Good because I have unfinished business with Dagon." Michael adjusted his grip on his sword and took a step toward Dagon who had grabbed the witch and was using her as a shield.

"Hiding behind the human woman will not save you, Dagon." Michael said. "You were an Archangel once, a trained warrior. Has your time in Purgatory truly brought you so low as to hide behind a human?"

"Gabriel loves these hairless apes even if you don't." Dagon said. "He won't let you kill this one in cold blood."

"Perhaps you should ask her about the warning that Gabriel sent her." Michael said. "Ask her what Gabriel has done to those who spilled human blood in their quest to compel Loki through the ages. He will not mourn her loss."

Dagon growled and shoved the woman at Michael. Michael who was wearing a young, strong, healthy vessel while Dagon was still stuck in this old man. Dagon reached out for the vessel he had worn only a couple of days ago. That man was younger than this one. Dagon was shocked when the vessel could not be located.

"We sent him somewhere safe." Michael said stalking forward.

"Gabriel! Will you standby and let him take the life you saved." Dagon yelled.

Gabriel ignored Dagon in favor of running his sword through another of the Fallen.

"Have you had enough entertainment yet Gabriel?" Michael asked.

"Yeah I think my bloodlust is sated for the moment." Gabriel said walking over to stand next to Michael. "I didn't save Kemuel's life, I simply delayed your end. I was wrong, had I truly saved Kemuel we would not be standing here. Kemuel is dead and Dagon is no brother of mine." Gabriel turned his back and headed over to the stone where the witch still huddled. Those of the fallen who had not been killed had fled.

Michael looked at the Fallen angel and raised his sword. "May Father have mercy on you." Michael said as the sword swung through the air removing Dagon's head.

* * *

 

Balthazar suddenly stood up and placed himself in front of the magi.

"Balthazar? What is it?" Delores asked "Another bodyguard?"

"No, a fallen." Balthazar said tightly as the front door swung open.

A woman walked into the room and looked at Balthazar with a mixture of amusement and caution. "Balthazar, I had heard that you were dead, stabbed in the back by Castiel."

"Muriel, I had heard that you were in hell trying to free Lucifer." Balthazar said with just as much wariness.

"And so I have been but Michael's presence has made it difficult. And now another who should be dead occupies the Morningstar's prison." Muriel answered. "Archangels seem to be falling at an alarming rate don't you think? The Morningstar, The General and The Messenger all imprisoned in the deepest of Hell's pits, until now. Some of us still recognize Father's hand at work."

"Why are you here?" Balthazar asked tightening his grip on his sword.

"I have not come to face you in battle, but to tell you that not all of us who are fallen followed Dagon. I hold no ill will towards these creatures." She said gesturing at Delores. "Their time on this world is finite. Metatron has written that the Doomsday Blast will happen in Father's good time. That is when we will battle brother, not before."

"So why are you telling me this?" Balthazar demanded.

"She is a magi is she not? I speak for her benefit." The angel turned toward Delores. "Gabriel loves you mud monkeys. So much so that he was willing to die at the hands of the Morningstar to protect you. But the time will come when you have turned so completely from father, that he will slaughter you by the millions. He will bring forth that which was revealed to the Prophet John.

He is your champion now, but this was not always the case. Do not forget it was Gabriel who led us to destroy the wicked cities, and laughed as he turned Lot's wife into a pillar of salt. It was Gabriel who brandished his sword and drove Adam and his wife from Eden. Just as Gabriel was the most enthusiastic of all the Archangels when they descended upon Egypt to slaughter the firstborn. Consider this Magi before you place such trust in him."

"Are you quite finished with the ancient history lesson?" Balthazar asked.

Muriel looked at Delores who seemed to be deep in thought. "I believe my work here is finished, yes. Until we meet at Megiddo brother." The Fallen angel retreated through the door and Balthazar looked at the magi.

"Don't judge Gabriel until you have spoken to him. Yes in the beginning he was as adamant in desiring your extinction as the other Archangels. But he took our Father's orders to love you and serve you to heart. His actions may seem cruel to you, but they have always been taken with a thought to your continued existence. Even when he left heaven to live among you he became Loki and then the Trickster, his targets were always deserving of his punishments. He has always sought to stave off the battle of Megiddo as long as possible."

* * *

 

Gabriel looked at Carla with disgust. "You really are a foolish woman. I gave you a clear warning. One you chose to ignore."

"He called you Gabriel." She said fearfully as she stared up at the massive figure towering over her. "And Michael" she looked at the other man standing there who simply snorted.

"You know Gabriel, oddly enough my vessel has no problem with 'ganking' her. As a matter of fact he would prefer it. He has no love of witches." Michael said.

"Neither does Sam. But an example must be made of her." Gabriel said as he looked down at her considering. He snapped his fingers and she found herself bound to the very stone she was going to sacrifice the child on. Looking up, Gabriel watched as several carnivorous birds began settling in the trees around the clearing.

"Pray someone finds you before they do too much damage." Gabriel said. "They are hungry. Eventually their hunger will override their instinctive fear."

Gabriel said turning away from the altar and joining Michael as they headed back to the Impala.

"Father preserved your vessel." Michael said.

"I know. I suppose I can look forward to catching hell from Lucifer for borrowing Sam." Gabriel punned.

"I don't think so. Lucifer was more concerned with your safety when you were pulled from the cage." Michael said. "Gabriel, I am sorry about Kali."

"What we had was over a long time ago, but we were still friends and still loved each other in a way. I mourn her death." Gabriel said.

Michael gave Gabriel's shoulder a squeeze. "I know."

"Dean!" A voice cried out as they approached the car. Michael looked up to find Sam sitting on the hood cradling a small sleeping child.

Sam caught sight of Gabriel and his eyes widened. The child took that moment to open his eyes and smile at them.

"You have done well. Michael release Dean and return to the cage and wait for me there." The child said.

"As you wish Father."

Dean blinked and looked at Sam and then turned to look at Sam. "I'm seeing double." He muttered.

"Dean Winchester, thank you." God said. "Castiel's faith in you was not misplaced. Now as for the Spare Sam situation..."

Sam stood up and handed 'God' to Dean and then walked over to Gabriel.

Gabriel's normal smirk appeared on his face. "It's been fun kiddo but do me a favor, once in a while eat something unhealthy. Preferable with lots of chocolate and sugar." He reached out and laid his palm on Sam's chest over his heart causing Sam to stumble.

Gabriel held his arms out to the child and settled the small boy on his hip. "Deano, I'm glad you proved me wrong. I guess both of you Winchesters are worth a damn after all. Just think before you act Dean, remember every decision you make has far reaching consequences."

"What about Sam?" Dean asked looking back and forth between the two of them.

"That is Sam. Dad put him back together. This is just an empty shell now. Everything that was Sam is now in Sam." Gabriel smiled. "Keep in touch with the Magi. She is destined to be a big help to you." Gabriel started to turn away.

"Wait! What about Garth?"

"Castiel is waiting at the Magi's house with Garth and the magi's husband." Gabriel said and then snapped his fingers disappearing with the child.

"Sammy?" Dean asked looking over at his brother. "Are you?"

"Yeah, I am." Sam said with a smile as he opened the passenger door and slid inside.


End file.
